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FRONTISPIECE. 



JUYENILE PIETY; 



ILLUSTRATED IN THE LIFE OP 



MARGARET ANN WALTON. 



DAUGHTER OF THE REV. W. C. WALTON, LATB OF HARTFORD, CONN. 



WITH REMARKS ON THE 



RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. 

Approved by the Committee of Publication, 




BOSTON: 

MASSACHUSETTS SABBATH SCHOOL SOCIETY, 
Depository, No. 13 Cornhill. 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1853, 

By CHRISTOPHER C. DEAN, 
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts. 



INTRODUCTION, 



This little memoir was prepared many years 
since, and at a time when very few biographies 
of pious children were published, and in circula- 
tion. The developments of religous feelings in 
its subject were so early and remarkable, her 
conscientiousness, devotion, and earnest desires to 
do good, were so unusual in a child of her years, 
that it was thought that a brief history of her life 
would exert a beneficial influence upon other 
children. This expectation, has been, to a con- 
siderable extent, realized. Several children have 
been led, by the example of Margaret Ann to 
delight in prayer, exercise faith in the promises 
of God, and improve opportunities afforded to 
direct others to the Saviour. They have also 
been taught to love the Bible, to study its holy 
truths, to reverence its Author, and to feel that 
the great mission of life is to make preparation 
for eternity. 
1* 



VI INTRODUCTION* 

The memoir also illustrates the power of family- 
religion. Margaret did not enjoy the advantages 
afforded at the present day of studying the lives 
of others, and moulding her character upon 
models furnished by our various benevolent So- 
cieties. There were then but few books and 
papers adapted to the capacity and sympathies of 
children. But she did enjoy the best parental 
instruction and the prayers of parents who la- 
bored conscientiously and zealously to train up 
their household in the fear and love of God. She 
was a flower that budded and blossomed in a 
garden where the atmosphere was congenial to 
the highest and purest culture. She early felt 
the warmest of parental affection. She was care- 
fully protected from the rude blasts of worldly 
influences. The dews of Divine grace, in answer 
to prayer, descended upon her, and she yielded 
the fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, gentle- 
ness. There was strength too, as well as beauty 
in her character. Her mind was nourished by 
the great truths of our holy religion. Thus she 
was prepared to be early transplanted to the 
celestial Paradise where she enjoys immortal 
bloom, where the fragrance of her piety rises as 
perpetual incense before the throne. 

We need the history of her life, her infant 



INTRODUCTION, 



prayers, her sweet and simple counsels, her happy 
death, to teach us the value of family religion 
and parental culture. Amid the external aids 
and facilities afforded at the present day for the 
religious education of the young, we are liable to 
overlook the paramount importance of home in- 
fluences. These, after all, are the most potent, 
and those upon which the greatest reliance must 
be placed* The other means are but auxiliaries ; 
important indeed and effective, but still auxiliaries. 

It will add to the interest of those who may 
trace the footsteps of this little child in her short 
journey to heaven, to know that her beloved 
father, who so tenderly watched over her, and 
who left this memento of his parental affection, 
has gone to meet her in her new and glorious 
home. Welcomed by her angelic spirit, he is 
rejoicing with her in the blessings of redeeming 
love, and mingling his voice with hers in singing 
the praises and loving kindness of the Saviour. 

In the meridian of life, as though the sun 
should set at noon, in the midst of his usefulness 
as an able, faithful and successful minister of the 
gospel, from the bosom of an affectionate family 
and a beloved church, he was summoned to the 
courts above. 

How unspeakably delightful for the members 



INTRODUCTION. 



of Christian families, after the trials and storms 
of this life are passed, to meet in heaven no more 
to part — to meet an unbroken circle around the 
great white throne, to cast their crowns at the 
Saviour's feet, and with united voices to ascribe 
to him the glory of their salvation ! After the 
pangs of separation here, the watching for the 
last breath, the final struggle, the funeral rites, 
the habiliments, of mourning, the dark, long 
shadow, which hangs over the pathway of the 
survivors, how enrapturing to feel that there 
shall be no more sickness, sorrow, or death — that 
the bright world is safely reached where all tears 
shall be wiped away ! n. w. c. 






JUVENILE PIETY. 



^4ho^> -c<&*~ 



CHAPTER I. 

Margaret Ann Walton was born in 
Charlestown, JefFerson County, Virginia, 
on the 11th day of March, 1818. She was a 
first-born child ; and as soon as her parents 
received her from the hands of her heavenly 
Father, they gave her back to him again 
by an act of solemn dedication ; and during 
her whole life, it is believed they never 
passed a day without praying for their dear 
little Margaret Ann. And for what did 
they pray ? — Not that she might be admired 
by the world, and enjoy its pleasures, its 
riches and its honors ; for they knew that 
such things could not make her happy, and 



10 JUVENILE PIETY. 

that if she set her heart upon them, she 
would live and die like the wicked, who 
"have no hope, and are without God in the 
world f that she would be unfitted for pure 
and rational enjoyment, both here and here- 
after; and as a necessary consequence, 
would be doomed to endless wretchedness 
and despair. For what then did they pray 1 
They prayed that she might be washed in 
the fountain which the Saviour has opened 
for sin and uncleanness — renewed and 
sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and thus 
made a child of God, prepared to live to his 
glory in this world and to enjoy Him in 
heaven forever. But they knew it was 
their duty to instruct, as well as to j)ray for 
her; for the Bible says that parents must 
" train up their children in the nurture and 
admonition of the Lord" and M teach" 
them the great truths of religion, " diligent- 
ly, and talk of these truths when they sit 
in the house, and when they walk by the 
way ; when they lie down and when they 
rise up." This command they endeavored 
literally to obey. When Margaret Ann was 






JUVENILE PIETY. 11 

a little more than two years old, she was 
taught to look up to God as her heavenly- 
Father; to remember that all the good 
things she enjoyed came from Him; that 
she ought to love Him more than her earth- 
ly parents, and to be thankful for every 
blessing his hands bestowed. She soon 
learned a short prayer, which she repeated 
every morning and evening; and much 
pains was taken to impress it upon her 
mind, that merely saying the words of a 
prayer, was not praying ; that it was the 
heart that prayed, and that God always 
looked at the heart ; that if the heart did 
not feel what the lips expressed, it was 
mocking God, instead of worshiping him. 
She was also taught the necessity of a 
Saviour : that the Son of God had come 
down from heaven, had suffered and died 
for sinners, and that it was only by a reli- 
ance upon his merits that our prayers could 
be heard and our souls saved. She was 
taught that she had by nature a heart despe- 
rately wicked, and at enmity with God; 
that she must therefore be born again and 



12 JUVENILE PIETY. 

sanctified by the Holy Spirit, or she could 
never enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
Finally, she was taught to look forward to 

the DAY OF JUDGMENT, tO the RESURRECTION of 

the just and of the unjust ; to the eternal 
happiness of the one, and the eternal de- 
struction of the other. She not only heard 
these things with her ears, but they sunk 
down into her heart. She thought and 
conversed much about them, and while she 
was talking to others and asking them ques- 
tions on these subjects, all the powers of her 
mind appeared to be engaged, and her feel- 
ings were often wrought up to a high degree 
of excitement. At such times the intelli- 
gent animation of her countenance, the tears 
of emotion standing in her eyes or rolling 
down her cheeks, her words and her actions, 
all contributed to make her an object 
which parental affection could not contem- 
plate without inexpressible tenderness and 
delight. 

Before she was three years old, she com- 
mitted to memory a number of hymns, and 
a catechism. In explaining the catechism, 



JUVENILE PIETY. 13 

her mother made some such remark as this: 
that her " heavenly Father was very kind 
to her in giving her all the good things she 
enjoyed ; but what was infinitely more, he 
had given his Son to die for us." She imme- 
diately replied with her usual sprightliness, 
" Yes, mamma, he died to atone for my 
sins.' * Something was said about the atone- 
ment in her catechism, but her mother was 
very far from supposing that she understood 
the meaning of the word, or the right appli- 
cation of it, and was astonished to find that 
she did ; and it must be a matter of surprise 
to all who may read this sketch of her life, 
when they are informed that she was at 
that time not three years old ! Even at this 
early period it had become so habitual with 
her to think and talk about " the things 
that pertain to the kingdom of God," that 
when she was at work or at play, she would 
often repeat to herself the hymns and pas- 
sages of Scripture which she had learnt. 
This habit was a great advantage to her. 
It kept her from many wicked thoughts, 
and from much idle, foolish talk, and gave 



14 JUVENILE PIETY. 

her mind a turn towards heavenly things, 
which was one means under the teaching of 
the Holy Spirit, of preparing her for that 
blessed world where she know dwells, and 
where all holy children shall dwell for- 
ever. 

II. One day as she was playing with a 
little boy, whose name was George, he be- 
came very angry about some trifling thing, 
and raised his hand to strike her. The only 
notice she took of it was to say, with a 
sweet smile, and in perfect good humor, 
" You must not let such angry passions 
rise, little Georgy." This sentiment was 
doubtless suggested by the following hymn, 
which she had learnt, and which every 
little child ought to learn. 

" 1. Let dogs delight to bark and bite, 
For God hath made them so ; 
Let bears and lions growl and fight, 
For 'tis their nature too. 

11 2. But little children you should never let 
Such angry passions rise, 
Your little hands were never made 
To tear each others' eyes, 



JUVENILE PIETY, 15 

" 3. Let love through all your actions run, 
And all your words be mild: 
Live like the blessed virgin's Son, 
That sweet and lovely child. 

11 4. His soul was gentle as a lamb, 
And as his stature grew, 
'He grew in favor both with man # 

And God his Father too. 

" 5. Now, Lord of all, he reigns above, 
And from his heavenly throne, 
He sees what children dwell in love, 
And marks them for his own." 

III. When she was in her fourth year, 
the following interesting fact occurred. One 
day as she was returning home, she saw a 
blacksmith whom she knew, come out of his 
shop and knock a man down with his tongs. 
She saw the blood run down the poor 
man's face, and was so much affected at 
the sight, that it made her sick. She felt 
and expressed the deepest abhorrence of 
such wickedness, and asked her mother if 

11 God would forgive Mr. J ?" She was 

told that he would forgive him if Mr. J 

would repent. " Then I will pray for him," 
said she. Her mother did not forget it, and 



16 JUVENILE PIETY. 



took notice of her to see whether she would 
perform her promise. Soon after she arrived 
home, she was seen to go into a private 
room. When she came out, her mother 
asked her if she had been praying for Mr. 
J j . She said she had. Not long after- 
wards, Mr. J came to Bethany, where 

Margaret Ann lived. She went to him and 
reminded him of what he had done, and 
told him she had prayed that God would 
forgive him. Thus early had she learnt to 
hate sin, and to feel a deep concern for the 
souls of her fellow creatures. She had learnt 
also, to connect the idea of future punish- 
ment with the commission of sin ; a most 
important lesson both to the young and the 
old. Sin is " that abominable thing which 
God hates;" and without repentance he 
will punish the sinner in hell forever. 

Therefore, we as well as Margaret Ann, 
ought to pray for those whom we see to be 
living in a state of sin. Every instance of 
their wickedness ought to lead our thoughts 
forward to the day of judgment, and to the 
sentence, " depart accursed into everlas- 



JUVENILE PIETY. 17 

TING FIRE, PREPARED FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS 

angels." Such reflections would increase 
our dread of sin and our concern to M flee 
from the wrath to come." 

IV. It was common for her to exhort chil- 
dren and servants, and any persons with 
whom she might take that liberty, to repent 
of their sins. One instance particularly is 
remembered, in which she displayed a de- 
gree of earnestness, united with simple, 
native eloquence, which caused a hardened 
sinner whom she had been exhorting to say, 
" That Miss Margaret Ann is a wonderful 
child — I never heard a child talk so in my 
life." She spoke to him of God, of the 
Saviour, of heaven and hell, as if she saw 
them with her eyete, and exhorted him to 
repent by the most powerful motives. 

When she was about six and a half years 
old, the following incident occurred. She 
was with her parents at her grandmother's 
in Charlestown, where there was a prayer 
meeting. After the meeting closed, she re- 
tired into the next room, where she found 

a servant woman who had not been in the 
2* 



18 JUVENILE PIETY. 

meeting. She immediately commenced talk- 
ing to her on the subject of religion, express- 
ed her pity for the woman's condition, re- 
minding her of the awful place to which she 
was going unless she repented of sin. She 
asked the woman if she had given her heart 
to the Lord ? The reply was that she had 
not. Margaret Ann then said that she had, 
and she would pray that Hannah might do 
so now. She then kneeled down in the 
room, and prayed for her in such a fervent 
manner that her petition had a powerful 
effect in bringing Hannah to yield her heart 
to the Lord. This she soon gave evidence 
that she had done, and was received as a 
member of the church. 

One day being at the house of an uncle, 
a gentleman came in who was a candidate 
for the State legislature. His mind ap- 
peared to be entirely absorbed in the busi- 
ness of securing his election, and out of the 
abundance of the heart his mouth spoke. 
During a little intermission of the conver- 
sation, she in the most serious and artless 
manner, while leaning on his knee, and 



JUVENILE PIETY. 19 

looking him full in the face, remarked, 
11 Haman was hanged !" She said no more, 
but left him to draw his own conclusion 
from the instructive fact. 

V. When she was engaged with her 
little amusements, her mind did not appear 
to be so wholly engrossed with them as 
children generally are, with such things ; 
on the contrary, she was often thinking of 
her Bible, of the hymns she had learnt, and 
would repeat them to herself over and over 
again, rather than dwell upon trifles ; and 
those who were most with her, have re- 
marked that comparatively little of childish 
phraseology was at any time heard from 
her. Her language was so correct, and her 
conversation was so far elevated above her 
years and displayed so much maturity and 
enlargement of mind, that one of her aunts 
said she greatly preferred Margaret Ann's 
society to that of many grown females. 
Others observed this peculiarity and often 
remarked upon it. 



20 JUVENILE PIETY. 



CHAPTER II. 
Margaret Ann was a Praying Child. 

I. A proof of this has been seen in the 

fact related respecting Mr. J . Since 

her death, her father being in Washington 
City, was thus addressed by a little girl 
nearly of Margaret Ann's age. " When I 
was at your house, I saw Margaret Ann 
take a little black girl into a room by them- 
selves and pray." 

" How often did you see her do so, my 
dear?" 

" Two or three times," was the answer. 

Margaret Ann was then only about four 
years old. 

II. Information has also been received 
from a young female who lived in the fami- 
ly about the same time, and who was 
generally with the children, that she often 



JUVENILE PIETY. 21 

saw Margaret Ann retire to a private room 
to pray ; and that when the child was 
walking out, she often saw her cry without 
any apparent cause, and when asked why 
she was crying, her answer was, " O ! I 
have such a wicked heart !" 

III. She also took a deep interest in the 
exercises of family worship. She would 
stand by her father while he was reading 
a chapter in the Bible, and look at the 
hymn which was sung, and try to join in 
singing it. Then with the rest of the fami- 
ly she would kneel down, put her hands 
together in a devout posture, and often she 
has been so much affected by the prayer as 
to weep. When she rose from her knees, 
while wiping her eyes, her countenance ex- 
hibited the meekness, humility, and solem- 
nity of one who had realized the presence of 
the great god, and who had worshiped 
him in spirit and in truth. Thus was she 
preparing for that happy world, where she 
now unites with saints and angels, in purer, 
nobler worship, and where God himself 
wipes away all tears from the eyes of his 
children. 



22 JUVENILE PIETY. 



IV. Her feelings were ever alive to re- 
ligious conversation. Her parents never 
found it difficult to call off her attention 
from other things, and to fix it upon the 
great truths of the Bible. As soon as 
these truths were presented, her mind ap- 
peared to take hold of them, and to study 
them with all its energy ; and she was evi- 
dently more deeply interested by them, than 
little girls of her age generally are, in con- 
versing about their fine dress, or their toys, 
or amusements. 

V. The sufferings of Christ seemed to 
affect her most deeply. When she was 
about five years old, on the morning of a 
sacramental Sabbath, her father and mother 
told her what they were going to do, when 
they arrived at the church. They ex- 
plained to her the nature and design of the 
Lord's Supper ; described the sufferings and 
death of the Saviour, and reminded her, that, 
had not the Lord Jesus Christ thus suffered 
and died, all of us must have been punished 
for our sins in hell for ever. The love of 
the Father in sending the Son, and the 



JUVENILE PIETY. 23 

love of the Son in dying for sinners, were 
presented to her view. She was told how 
the Saviour on the night before he was 
crucified, instituted this ordinance, com- 
manding his disciples to break bread, to set 
it apart by prayer from a common to a 
sacred use, and to eat it in remembrance of 
his body that was broken and crucified ; — 
also to consecrate wine in the same manner, 
and to drink it in remembrance of his blood 
that was shed for the remission of sins; 
that this ordinance was called the Lord's 
Supper, and that it was the duty of all to 
be prepared to partake of it, by coming out 
from among those who were his enemies, 
and expressing their love to Him, and their 
determination to obey his commandments. 
She listened with fixed attention; her heart 
appeared to be melted into tenderness and 
love ; the tears rolled down her cheeks, 
and she insisted in the most importunate 
manner to be allowed to go to the Lord's 
table. When told she was not prepared, 
she seemed to be inconsolable, still insist- 
ing as if she could take no denial — "O 



24 JUVENILE PIETY. 

mother," said she, "why cannot I go?" 
and continued weeping for some time. 

My dear young reader, how do you feel 
on this subject ? Did you ever think seri- 
ously about it? Did you ever consider 
that it is your duty to be prepared to go to 
the Lord's table? When you have seen 
your father or mother, or your pious friends 
going forward to this ordinance, did you 
reflect that by not desiring to go with them, 
your conduct declared that you would not 
have the Lord Jesus Christ to rule over 
you ? declared that you did not love Him, 
that you were not sorry for your sins which 
crucified him, and that you would not 
keep his commandments? Such was the 
meaning of your conduct, and remember, — 
God understands that meaning, and He 
knows the wickedness of your heart which 
causes you to act in this manner. And O ! 
how provoking it must be to Him, to see 
his Son so slighted and all his mercies thus 
despised and rejected ! The Saviour who 
loved you and died for you, was looking 
down upon you, when you were thus re- 



JUVENILE PIETY. 25 

quiting his tender compassion with ingrati- 
tude ! — Will you ever treat Him so again ? 
— Remember, that if you are not prepared 
to go to the Lord's table, you are not pre- 
pared to live, nor to die; nor prepared to 
perform any duty acceptably to God. What 
is it that renders you unfit to partake of 
this holy ordinance? It is the sinfulness 
of your heart. This being in rebellion 
against God, makes all your actions sinful. 
Against such persons the wrath of God is 
revealed from Heaven, and it abides upon 
them continually; — yes — even when they 
fancy themselves most secure, and have 
the most favorable opinion of their charac- 
ter and condition ! How awful is the 
thought ! May it penetrate your soul and 
awaken you from your fatal slumbers ! 
And while you mourn, that by your sins, 
you have offended the greatest and the best 
of Beings, and crucified the Lord of glory, 
adopt the language of this hymn, which 
was one of the first that Margaret Ann 
committed to memory, and which she con- 
tinued to love as long as she lived. 



26 JUVENILE PIETY. 

[ 1. Alas ! and did my Saviour bleed I 
And did my Sovereign die ! 
Would He devote that sacred head, 
For such a worm as I ! 



" 2. Thy body slain, dear Jesus thine, 
And bathed in its own blood ; 
While all exposed to wrath divine 
The glorious Sufferer stood ! 

" 3. Well might the Sun in darkness hide, 
And shut his glories in ; 
When, God, the mighty Maker, died 
For man the creature's sin ! 

" 4. Thus might I hide my blushing face 
While his dear cross appears, 
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, 
And melt mine eyes to tears. 

" 5. But drops of grief can ne'er repay, 
The debt of love I owe ; 
Here, Lord, I give myself away, 
'Tis all that I can do." 

And, blessed be his name, this is all He 
requires. Then come, come immediately, 
as a lost sinner, to Him who "came to 
seek and to save the lost; " and while you 
acknowledge and feel that God might just- 



JUVENILE PIETY. 27 

ly condemn and cast you off forever, 
submit to him on the terms of the 
gospel, and lay hold upon the hope which 
he has set before you. Do this, and your 
soul shall live. Do this, and you will ex- 
perience the great salvation which the 
Lord Jesus labored and died to obtain ; 
and then its memorials will be precious in 
your sight, and when you see them spread 
before you in the ordinance of the Sacra- 
mental Supper, you will be attracted to that 
ordinance by a feeling which it would be 
painful to resist; and while you go, you 
will say again with all your heart : — 



" Here, Lord, I give myself away, 
'Tis all that I can do." 



28 JUVENILE PIETY. 



CHAPTER III. 

" The hour is coming in which all that are in the graves 
shall hear his voice, and shall come forth : they that have 
done good, to the resurrection of life ; they that have done 
evil to the resurrection of damnation." 

I. The description which the Bible gives 
of the day of judgment made a deep im- 
pression upon the mind of Margaret Ann. 
She believed it, and her " faith was the evi- 
dence of things not seen." Her strong and 
lively imagination painted the whole scene 
before her, in the most glowing colors; and 
sometimes when she was with her little 
cousins, and other little children, she would 
talk to them on this subject. She would 
describe how, at the last day, the arch- 
angel's trumpet will sound and wake the 
dead, and how the Lord Jesus will come in 
the clouds of heaven to judge the world; 
and how he will say to the wicked— " De- 



JUVENILE PIETY, 29 

part ye cursed into everlasting fire, pre- 
pared for the devil and his angels;" — 
and to the righteous, — " Come ye blessed 
of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared 
for you from the foundation of the world ;" 
and how the latter will shine like the sun 
in the kingdom of heaven for ever and 
ever." One of her little sermons alone, if the 
manner as well as the matter had been pre- 
served, would prove that she was indeed a 
striking exhibition of juvenile piety and in- 
telligence. 

II. Some months before she died, her 
father had a long conversation with her, in 
which he urged upon her the duty of giving 
her heart to God immediately, and of serv- 
ing Him all the days of her life. She 
listened with a feeling heart and an atten- 
tive mind while he told her how easy and 
how pleasant was the Saviour's yoke, how 
reasonable his commands, and how un- 
speakably happy they will be who obey 
them. He also described to her the dark 
and slippery way in which sinners walk, 
their aggravated guilt in rebelling against 

3* 



JUVENILE PIETY. 

God ; and finally, their dreadful end. The 
subject was fully presented before her 
mind ; life or death, heaven or hell was to 
be chosen, and verily she seemed to make 
the right choice. The language of her 
heart appeared to be — " Lord what wilt 
thou have me to do?" — She was not afraid 
to know the full extent of her duty, lest 
she might feel unwilling to comply with it; 
but inquired particularly whether certain 
things which she had been in the habit of 
doing, were wrong; and she desired to 
know what things would be offensive to 
her heavenly Father, in order that she 
might avoid them. This evinced the spirit 
of obedience, without which no professions 
of repentance are sincere. 

III. Margaret Ann was an humble 
child. She was taught that pride was both 
foolish and wicked ; that every thing she 
had was given to her by the Lord, and that 
she ought to be thankful for it, instead of 
being proud of it. She was generally satis- 
fied with any thing her mother gave to her; 
for she had the greatest confidence in her 



JUVENILE PIETY. 31 

mother's judgment and ability to decide 
what was best for her. 

When her mother went abroad and left 
the children at home, she would sometimes 
ask on her return — " Who of you have 
been good children to-day ? " While one 
would say "I have" — and another — "I 
have," Margaret Ann was silent. And if 
the question was put to her, she would say 
with a sweet smile, " Ask Miss Sarah." 

One day she was asked u Who is the best 
girl, you or sister Lucinda?" She prompt- 
ly replied- — " Why, sister." And who is 
the prettiest girl?" "Why, sister," said 
she, and appeared to be surprised at the 
question, as if she thought there could be 
no doubt on the subject, though at the same 
time others were of a very different opinion. 
This exhibits her humility in an amiable 
light, and in this as well as in other respects, 
her example deserves to be recorded for the 
imitation of other little girls ; and some of 
more mature years might find it greatly to 
their advantage to imitate this part of her 
character. Humility is lovely in the view 



32 JUVENILE PIETY. 

both of God and man. God resisteth the 
proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 
And a proud person in passing through the 
world will often meet with opposition and 
contempt, where one who is " clothed with 
humility " would be loved and honored. 

IV. To say that Margaret Ann was an 
affectionate child, would not convey to 
those who did not know her, an adequate 
idea of this feature of her character. She 
was indeed affectionate to a degree that 
cannot be described. She had a tender re- 
gard for every thing that had life, and 
breath, and sensibility. She loved every 
body, but she said she did not love "the 
ways of the wicked. 5 ' While she formed 
strong attachments to all the members of 
the family, and to others who became inti- 
mate with the family, she loved with pecu- 
liar tenderness her parents, grandmothers, 
and little brother and sisters. Although 
she was so young, yet she was a careful 
protectress of her next oldest sister, when 
they were permitted to go out to play. It 
was common to see her leading her dear 



JUVENILE PIETY. 33 

little sister by the hand, and it was pleas- 
ing to hear how affectionately she would 
talk to her, and to see how she would show 
her every thing which she thought would 
be interesting to her. And when she went 
from home without her little brother, she 
was not satisfied to return without bringing 
him some present. She had an infant sis- 
ter whom she appeared to love with some- 
thing like a parental affection ; and when 
she thought she was dying, she sent to her 
brother and to sister Lucinda this message 
— " Tell them they must take good care of 
my little sister, and be very good to her and 
be very good besides — (she meant — be very 
good in other respects) — for God loves good 
children." 

V. One of her grandmothers was con- 
fined to her room by a long and severe 
affliction. This affected her tender heart, 
and she often pitied her "poor grand- 
mother" when she saw her suffering so 
much. She would also go to her room and 
converse with her about " the things which 
pertain to the kingdom of God." She 



34 JUVENILE PIETY. 

would often read the Bible to her, and as 
she was reading would stop and make re- 
marks and ask questions which evinced 
how deeply she was interested in the sub- 
ject. The Sabbath before her last illness, 
she was employed in reading the Bible to a 
sick servant in the family, who was expect- 
ed to die, and she remarked to the sick 
woman — " Aunt^ Milly, although you are 
so sick, I may die before you yet." This 
thing, which then appeared only a possi- 
bility, soon became matter of fact. The 
servant lived to weep over the corpse of 
her dear little comforter, while she remem- 
bered her last interesting conversation. 

VI. By sitting at the feet of Jesus and 
hearing his word, she had learnt that "it 
is more blessed to give than to receive;" 
and that Christians like their Saviour, 
ought to have " compassion " upon those 
who are as " sheep without a shepherd." 
She often talked with much concern about 
" the poor heathen children," who have no 

* At the South it is common to call the colored servants 
i: aunt" and * uncle." 



JUVENILE PIETY. 35 

Bible, no Saviour, and no well-founded 
hope of happiness beyond the grave. When 
asked by her mother whether she would 
rather spend her money in fine dress, or 
send it to the heathen, she would without 
hesitation decide in favor of sending it to 
the heathen. When she died, she had a 
small sum which she had kept for this pur- 
pose. 

VII. In her spelling book there were 
some fables, of which she read one or two, 
and she was so much interested with them, 
that she had a strong desire to read the 
whole ; but her mother thought they might 
not have a good effect upon her mind, and 
told her that she did not wish her to read 
them." Afterwards in saying her lesson to 
her teacher, he would have allowed her to 
read the fables, but she declined, telling 
him that her "mother did not wish her to 
read them." This was no small sacrifice of 
feeling ; but she remembered the command, 
" Children obey your parents in all things, 
for this is well pleasing unto the Lord." 

VIII. A cousin of hers had been residing 



36 JUVENILE PIETY. 

for a few months at Bethany. Margaret 
Ann loved her very tenderly, and was un- 
willing to part from her. Her father, how- 
ever, had come to take her home, and he 
proposed to Margaret Ann to go along with 
her. In order to get her consent, or per- 
haps to amuse himself with the child, he 
observed that if she would go with her 
cousin Elizabeth, her mother would not 
then have it in her power to whip her. 
She replied, " that would be very wrong," 
(meaning, if she were to go, in order to 
avoid correction ;) "for," said she, "God 
has said, l if you spare the rod you will 
spoil the child.' " 



JUVENILE PIETY. 37 



CHAPTER IV. 

Margaret Ann Loved the Bible. 

I. Ln the morning, instead of spending 
her time in idleness or in mischief, she read 
her Bible. While the other children were 
making a noise around her, she often ap- 
peared to be so much engaged with her book 
as to take no notice of them. It was a cus- 
tom of the family for every one to repeat a 
passage of scripture, in the morning before 
prayers. By doing this every morning for 
several years ; by attending a Bible class, 
for which she prepared very carefully ; and 
by reading the scriptures to herself, and 
occasionally to others, she had enriched her 
mind with the treasures of heavenly wis- 
dom ; treasures infinitely more valuable 
than all the possessions of this world. She 
often repeated the hymn which contains 
these words — 



38 JUVENILE PIETY. 

" Precious Bible ! book divine ! 
Precious treasure, thou art mine ! " 

And then she would say, with a counte- 
nance expressive of the happy feelings 
which the sentiment inspired, " O ! is not 
that sweet." 

During her illness, when she had a little 
interval of ease, she requested that the 
Bible should be read to her. When asked 
— " What part shall we read ? " she would 
say — " Read to me about the sufferings of 
Jesus." She repeated this request very 
often, as if nothing but these sufferings 
could support her mind and give it peace 
in view of her sins and in the prospect of 
death. It seemed to be a delightful solace 
both to her soul and body; for although 
her sufferings were so great, that she often 
exclaimed in the most plaintive, yet sub- 
missive manner, " O, dear ! O, dear! H yet 
when the Bible was read to her, or any of 
her favorite hymns were sung, or when her 
parents and friends talked to her about the 
Saviour, she was silent and attentive. Once 
or twice she requested to hear that passage 



JUVENILE PIETY. 39 

read which speaks about the conduct of 
Mary, who " sat at the feet of Jesus and 
heard his word, and chose the good part 
which shall never be taken from her." 

As her father was one day putting the 
Bible under her pillow to raise her head, 
she interposed by saying — " don't treat the 
word of God so." When he replied — "my 
dear, I want you to rest your soul upon it," 
she appeared satisfied. Near the close of her 
illness, when she could scarcely speak at 
all, she was heard to say — " The Bible ! " 
" Do you love the Bible ?" said her father. 
" Yes," said she. "Why?" " Because it 
is the word of God," she sweetly replied. 

II. These incidents are here brought 
together to show how highly she prized the 
Bible, and why she prized it so much. This 
is regarded as one of the most prominent 
traits of her character, and it certainly is 
one of the surest evidences that she was a 
child of grace. Her parents labored much 
to cherish this disposition in her, being fully 
convinced that nothing else could contribute 
so much to her present happiness, or to her 
preparation for usefulness while she lived, 



40 JUVENILE PIETY. 

or to fit her for death, judgment and eter- 
nity; and since they have seen the happy 
effects of it exemplified both in her life and 
death, they are more deeply convinced of 
it than they were before. To her love and 
veneration for the word of God. under the 
influence of the Holy Spirit, we may ascribe 
all the other excellences of her character, 
all the peace of mind she exhibited on her 
death-bed, and all the happiness she is now 
enjoying, and will forever enjoy in Heaven. 
If, then, children desire to be wise, good, 
useful, and happy, let them read and love 
the Bible, and obey the voice of the Lord 
speaking to them in the Bible. In reading 
that precious book, they may, like Margaret 
Ann, sit at the feet of Jesus and learn of 
Him, and if they receive his instructions 
with believing and obedient hearts, they 
shall find rest to their souls, and commence 
a career of holiness and of happiness, which 
shall never end. May God incline every 
one who may read these pages to make the 
experiment ! 

We must now go back to some events 
which took place before her illness. 



JUVENILE PIETY. 41 



CHAPTER V. 

Margaret Ann Weeps, Prays, fyc. 

I. One night, during the year preceding 
her death, after retiring to bed. her mind 
was very much oppressed by a sense of her 
sinfulness. She wept for some time. At 
length she called for her mother and asked 
her to pray with her. Her mother for par- 
ticular reasons, did not at that time comply 
with her request, although she had often 
prayed with her at other times ; but after 
instructing and admonishing her, left her, 
saying, that if she did not pray for herself, 
the prayers of others could not save her. 
She then covered her head and prayed 
earnestly for a considerable length of time, 
and her nurse, who was in the room, said 
she had never heard such a prayer from a 
child. While her mother was talking to 

4* 



42 JUVENILE PIETY. 



her, she said in a very affecting manner, 
and with many tears — 

11 O that I could say from the bottom of 
my heart, 

" l Here Lord, I give myself away, 
'Tis all that I can do." 

This is not inconsistent with the supposition 
that she may have experienced a saving 
change before that time ; since it is not un- 
common even for grown persons who have 
experienced that change, to lose the evidence 
of it, by negligence or unwatchfulness, and 
thus to get into a state of mind which 
makes it appear very doubtful whether 
they have made an entire surrender of 
themselves to the Lord. Those, however, 
who get into this state of mind, have abun- 
dant cause to weep, as Margaret Ann did, 
and they ought never to rest until, in the 
spirit of submission, repentance, faith and 
love, they return to God from whom they 
have wandered. 

II. The scene begins to brighten — the 
work of grace is advancing, and we shall 



JUVENILE PIETY. 43 

soon find her, who had so often wept over 
her sins, rejoicing in the love of God. 

One day when walking out with her 
aunt they came to a retired place where 
they sat down. Her aunt observed — " Now 
we have been talking long enough about 
earthly things, let us talk about heavenly 
things. " In a moment the world and all it 
contains appeared to be forgotten, and little 
Margaret Ann was engaged with all her 
heart, and in that peculiar manner which 
can never be forgotten by those who have 
seen her under the influence of such an 
excitement, in conversing about those glori- 
ous objects which she could then only see 
as through a glass darkly, but of which she 
was soon to have a more perfect knowledge. 
Her hands appeared to move instinctively 
with the most natural, appropriate and 
graceful gestures; her countenance bright- 
ened, and her eyes filled with tears while 
she talked of God, and Christ, and angels, 
and the spirits of just men made perfect. 
At length feeling, perhaps, as Peter felt on 
the mount of transfiguration, she said, — 



44 JUVENILE PIETY. 

" Aunt, this would be a good place for us 
to have a meeting." 

" How," said her aunt, " can we have a 
meeting when there is no person besides you 
and me?" 

"Why," said she, "you can pray, and 
I can pray, and we can sing." 

" But there is no place to kneel down." 

" Yes there is," said she, " we can kneel 
down by the side of that tree." 

Her aunt feeling reluctant to engage in 
such exercises where they might possibly 
be overheard, and under circumstances so 
novel to her, still declined. But Margaret 
Ann insisted with tears that her aunt should 
pray, saying with her characteristic earnest- 
ness, — I want to bow my knees to my 
heavenly Father. 

" But will it not do for us to sing, and 
converse, and raise our thoughts to heavenly 
things?" 

"No," said she; " my heavenly Father 
commands us to pray, and I want to obey 
his command" laying a great deal of em- 
phasis on the word "command." So great 



JUVENILE PIETY. 45 

was her importunity that her aunt found 
herself quite in a dilemma, and did not 
know how to get out of it. They, however, 
united in singing the hymn which begins 
with these words — 

" When I can read my title clear 
To mansions in the skies," &c. 

They then conversed awhile on the sub- 
ject of the hymn, which opened a boundless 
field for thought and conjecture, and over 
which a sanctified imagination might rove 
with unspeakable delight. They then sang 
a hymn which brought to view the wonder- 
ful means by which this glorious prospect 
was opened up to us — 

" Alas, and did my Saviour bleed. 
And did my sovereign die," &c. 

And last of all they sung the following 
words, which, as they are so well known as 
the two preceding hymns, we shall write 
down at full length. 



46 JUVENILE PIETY. 

1. " Awake, my soul, in joyful lays, 
And sing the great redeemer's praise ; 
He justly claims a song from me, 
His loving kindness, ! how free ! 

2. " He saw me ruin'd by the fall, 
Yet lov'd me, notwithstanding all ; 
He sav'd me from my lost estate, 
His loving kindness, ! how great ! 

3. " Though numerous hosts of mighty foes, 
Though earth and hell my way oppose, 
He safely leads my soul along, 
His loving kindness, ! how strong ! 

4. " When trouble like a gloomy cloud, 
Has gathered thick and thundered loud, 
He near my soul has always stood, 
His loving kindness, ! how good ! 

5. " Often I feel my sinful heart 
Prone from my Jesus to depart, 
But though I have Him oft forgot, 
His loving kindness changes not. 

6. " Soon shall I pass this gloomy vale, 
Soon all my mortal powers must fail, 
0, may my last expiring breath 
His loving kindness sing in death ! 

7. " Then let me mount and soar away 
To the bright world of endless day, 
And sing with rapture and surprise, 
His loving kindness in the skies !" 



JUVENILE PIETY. 47 

•The conclusion of this hymn assumes the 
form of a prayer, and it was answered much 
sooner than she expected. In her last mo- 
ments she spoke of the " loving kindness of 
Jesus" — and said she would "praise him 
for it in heaven." When they had done 
singing, her aunt asked her if she loved 
God? "Yes," said she," 14 1 know I do." 

11 Do you love him better than every 
thing else?" 

" Yes," said she earnestly, — " I know 
I do." 

In this conversation the remarks she 
made, and the questions she asked about 
God and the things of his kingdom, partic- 
ularly of the employments of the saints in 
glory, displayed an enlargement of mind 
and reach of thought, which surprised and 
delighted her aunt, although she had often 
witnessed similar exhibitions of her mental 
powers before. 

This appeared to be a season of refresh- 
ing to her soul, so that she loved the place 
where she had seen, and tasted, and felt so 
much of the loving kindness of the Lord ; 



48 JUVENILE PIETY, 

she often spake of it afterwards, and asfced 
her aunt when she would visit it with her 
again. 

III. Several months before her death, she 
had a dream which greatly affected her 
mind. She thought she saw the Saviour 
wrapped in his grave clothes, lying in the 
new sepulchre belonging to Joseph of Ari- 
mathea. The whole scene was painted 
before her imagination to the very life, and 
it appeared to leave a distinct and salutary 
impression upon her mind, and to excite 
more sensible emotions of gratitude and 
love to the Saviour than she had ever before 
felt. This effect was, doubtless, produced 
by leading her to reflect more than she had 
previously done upon the Saviour's char- 
acter, particularly his love and compassion 
in dying for sinners. It was no neio revela- 
tion ; but the Holy Spirit may have em- 
ployed this means to fix her attention upon 
truths and facts revealed in the Bible, of 
which she had often read, for the important 
purpose of carrying forward the work of 
grace in her soul. 



JUVENILE PIETY. 49 

IV. A few days before her last illness, 
being with her father by the bed-side of the 
sick servant, to whom she had been read- 
ing the Bible, while he was conversing with 
the servant, exhorting her to make her 
peace with God, and explaining to her the 
way of salvation through Christ, Margaret 
Ann wept, and appeared to be much more 
affected by what was said, than the woman 
to whom the conversation was directed. 
Her appearance at this time was exceed- 
ingly interesting, while she stood by the 
bed of the sick woman, with her Bible in 
her hand, and tears flowing down her 
cheeks. This incident exhibits a trait in 
her character, which ought not to be passed 
over without notice. She felt a tender and 
lively sympathy for every person whom 
she saw in distress, and was keenly sensible 
to every thing relating to eternity, particu- 
larly to the love and compassion of the 
Saviour, and to his sufferings and death for 
the redemption of guilty man. She was 
especially struck with an anecdote which 
her father related to the sick woman, of an 



50 JUVENILE PIETY. 

African negro who had long been a servant 
of the Lord. When he was lying on his 
death-bed, his friends came around him, 
lamenting that he was going to die, saying, 
" Poor Pompey, poor Pompey is dying." 
The old saint, animated with the prospect 
before him, said to them with much earnest- 
ness — " Don't call me poor Pompey — I 
king Pompey," referring to the representa- 
tion in the book of Revelation, where the 
glorified saints are spoken of as being made 
"kings and priests unto God." This anec- 
dote she repeated during her illness, to 
which period we have now arrived in the 
progress of our narrative. 



JUVENILE PIETY. 51 



CHAPTER VI. 

Her last Illness and Death. 

It has already been observed, that on the 
Sabbath before her last illness, she said to a 
sick woman, " Aunt Milly, although you 
are so sick, I may die before you yet." On 
that night she was taken very ill. On the 
next day her fever rose exceedingly high, 
and her mind became delirious. And 
although from the first, every effort was made 
to stop the progress of her disease which 
parental affection, or medical skill could 
suggest, it continued to rage until its precious 
victim closed her eyes in death. It was a 
mercy, however, both to her and to her pa- 
rents that this event did not take place for 
many days. Thus an opportunity was given 
for her mind to recover from that delirium 
into which it had been thrown; and also, for 
her to feel and to express those sentiments 



52 JUVENILE PIETY. 

which rendered her last illness the most 
interesting part of her life, and which in- 
spired so much hope and confidence that she 
is now a little seraph before the throne of 
God. If those who attended her could have 
foreseen that she would die, and that a 
sketch of her life would be published, they 
might have collected much more than they 
did from her conversation, that would have 
been exceedingly interesting. But we will 
relate such things as have been distinctly 
remembered. 

II. On the Sabbath day she heard her 
little brother and sister making a noise, of 
which she complained. Her grandmother 
observed that the little things were playing. 
" But," said she, " you know they must not 
play.' 7 "Why?" " Because," said she, "it 
is the lord's day." 

III. While she was quite delirious she 
was heard to repeat with accuracy, the de- 
tails of an interesting scripture fact, which 
she had not long before read. It was the 

" story of Solomon's decision in the case of the 
two women who came to him to determine 



' 



JUVENILE PIETY. 53 

who should have the living child. After she 
had gone through the story, she made this 
natural reflection — "O how badly must the 
real mother of the child have felt ^yhen 
Solomon called for a sword to cut it in 
two." 

IV. Her father knowing that when she 
was in her right mind she was more power- 
fully influenced by the motives of the gos- 
pel, than by any thing else, endeavored to 
bring these motives to operate upon her, so 
as to induce her willingly to take medicine 
when he required her to do so. In order, 
therefore, to test her rationality, he asked 
her how we are to prove that we love the 
Saviour. She immediately replied, " By 
keeping his commandments." It was truly 
surprising and delightful to see how correct 
her judgment was on the most important 
subjects, while her mind was so much af- 
fected by her disease that at times she did 
not know even her father or her mother ! 

V. This fact reminds us of one very simi- 
lar to it, which is related respecting the 
pious Bishop Beveridge. When he was on 

5# 



54 JUVENILE PIETY. 

his death-bed, he did not know any of his 
friends or connections. A minister with 
whom he had been well acquainted visited 
him. When conducted into his room he 
said, " Bishop Beveridge, do you know 
me]" " Who are you ?" said the Bishop. 
Being told who the minister was, he said 
that he did not know him. Another friend 
came who had been equally well known, 
and accosted him in a similar manner — 
" Do you know me : Bishop Beveridge?" 
" Who are you ?" said he. Being told it was 
one of his intimate friends, he said he did 
not know him. His ivife then came to his 
bedside and asked him if he knew Iter. 
" Who are you?" said he. Being told she 
was his wife, he said he did not know her. 
" Well," said one, " Bishop Beveridge, do 
you know the Lord Jesus Christ?" " Jesus 
Christ," said he, reviving, as if the name 
had upon him the influence of a charm, 
" O ! yes, I have known Him these forty 
years. Precious saviour ! he is my only 
hope !" 

VI. After she became quite rational, her 



JUVENILE PIETY. 55 

father and others conversed with her fre- 
quently about the state of her soul. " O I" 
said she, in one of those conversations, " I 
have passed through a great deal of sin !" 
and was evidently much distressed by the 
reflection. Her father did not, however, 
wish to make her think that her sins were 
less than they appeared to be to her own 
mind; on the contrary, he rejoiced to see 
that she felt herself to be a great sinner. 
" But," said he, " my dear, do you feel sin- 
cerely sorry that you have sinned against 
your heavenly Father?" " Yes, sir,' 7 said 
she, " I do." "And can you trust in the 
Saviour for the pardon of your sins, and 
for the salvation of your soul?" She said 
that she could. These exercises of mind 
in regard to her sinfulness, were not now ex- 
perinced for the first time. They were im- 
pressions of long standing, but now deepen- 
ed by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, who 
was about to finish the work of grace. 

From the time when she was four or five 
years old, she was, as has been already ob- 
served, often seen crying, when no person 



56 JUVENILE PIETY. 

knew the cause ; and when asked what she 
was crying for, her reply generally was, 
"0! I have such a wicked heart!" But 
she had found the " Balm of Gilead," and 
had put herself under the care of the great 
and good " physician ; " for when asked by 
her mother, " whether she thought God 
had for Christ's sake forgiven her sins," 
she said she thought he had, and her mind 
generally appeared to be at rest on that 
subject. 

VII. One night she remarked, " Jesus 
died to save us from perishing; if I repent, 
did he not die for me?" " Yes, he did." 
" If I feel sorry in my heart for my sins, is 
not that repentance ? " u Yes." " Then," 
said she, " God will forgive me for Christ's 
sake. He died for all that repent. Did 
you not say so? The Bible says so. John 
was the beloved disciple. Jesus will love 
me too, if I repent." 

VIII. At another time, being asked, 
" whether she would rather go to heaven 
and be a holy child there, than to remain in 
this sinful world," she replied, with the 



JUVENILE PIETY. 57 



prospect of death before her, and without 
evincing the least fear of it, " I would 
rather go to heaven and be a holy child 
there." 

Most children, with all that can be said 
to them about heaven, are unwilling to die, 
in order to go there. Many are filled with 
distress and alarm at the very idea of 
dying; and they are so much afraid to die, 
that they sometimes wish they had never 
been born. But Margaret Ann felt other- 
wise. Her spirit, having tasted the sweet- 
ness of a little intercourse with heaven, 
was aspiring after that " fullness of joy," 
and those M pleasures which are at God's 
right hand^for evermore." After reflecting 
for a moment on the idea of going to 
heaven, that she might be a holy child 
there, another pleasing thought occurred ; 
it was the thought of seeing Jesus in his 
glory. The impression it made upon her 
mind was expressed in these words, in a 
very feeling manner, " O ! I hope I love the 
Saviour." Afterwards she spoke of dying 
as going home. " Do you think I am 



58 JUVENILE PIETY. 

going?" said she. "Going where, my 
dear?" said a friend. "Home," said she, 
with sweet simplicity; as if she had been 
already in the habit of viewing heaven as 
her home, a maturity of Christian experi- 
ence not equaled by many aged professors 
of religion. " A child shall die an hundred 
years old ! " Isaiah 65 : 20. 

IX. She seemed to regard it as part of 
her affliction, that she could not attend 
family worship, and she sometimes re- 
quested that the family might be assembled 
in her room, that she might enjoy the exer- 
cises. Her extreme illness, however, ren- 
dered this improper. But as often as her 
condition and other circumstances would 
admit, her father or some pious friend 
prayed with her. And she enjoyed it so 
much, that she sometimes requested that it 
might be repeated twice a day, or twice 
during a night. She often requested that 
some of her favorite hymns might be sung, 
and if those who were singing did not 
remember the beginning of a stanza, she 
would tell them what it was. One of those, 



JUVENILE PIETY. 

in which she appeared to take the deepest 
interest, was that which relates to the suf- 
ferings of Christ — 

" Alas ! and did my Saviour bleed," &c. 

Another, was that which relates to the 
prodigal son, which she had often repeated 
and tried to sing — 

11 Afflictions, though they seem severe, 
In mercy oft are sent ; — 

and concludes with these words — 

" 'Tis thus the Lord his grace reveals 
To call poor sinners home ; 
More than a father's love he feels, 
And welcomes all that come." 

There were two others for which she had a 
peculiar fondness, and which she requested 
to be sung for her; but when she spoke of 
them, she appeared to be in so critical a 
state, that it was not thought advisable to 
have any noise in her room. The senti- 
ments, however, were so suitable to her 
afflicted state, and so well adapted to sup- 



60 JUVENILE PIETY. 

port her mind, under the extreme sufferings 
of her body, that her friends afterwards 
regretted that they did not sing the hymns 
for her. As some, who may read this little 
volume, may not have seen them, they are 
here inserted; and, it is hoped, will be 
committed to memory by all who read 
them. 

1. " My Hope, my All, my Saviour thou, 

To thee, lo ! now, my soul I bow, 
I feel the bliss thy wounds impart, 
I find thee Saviour, in my heart. 

2. " Be thou my strength, be thou my way, 

Protect me through my life's short day ; 
In all my acts let wisdom guide, 
And keep me, Saviour, near thy side. 

3. " Correct, reprove, and comfort me ; 

As I have need my Saviour be ; 
And if I would from thee depart, 
• Then clasp me, Saviour, to thy heart. 

4. '* In fierce temptation's darkest hour, 

Save me from sin and Satan's power: 
Tear every idol from thy throne, 
And reign, my Saviour, reign alone. 

5. " My suffering time Will soon be o'er, 

Then shall I sigh and weep no more ; 
My ransomed soul shall soar away 
To sing God's praise in endless day." 



JUVENILE PIETY. 61 

The Triumph of Faith over the Afflictions 
and Trials of Life. 

1. M Come on, my partners in distress, 

My comrades through this wilderness, 

Who still your bodies feel ; 
Awhile forget your griefs and fears, 
And look beyond this vale of tears 

To that celestial hill. 

• 

2. M Beyond the bounds of time and space, 

Look forward to that heavenly place, 

The saint's secure abode ; 
On faith's strong eagle pinions rise 
And force your passage to the skies, 

And scale the mount of God. 

3. " Who suffer with our Master here 

Shall soon before his face appear, 

And by his side sit down ; 
To patient faith the prize is sure, 
And all that to the end endure 

The cross, shall wear the crown. 

4. " Thrice blessed bliss, inspiring hope ! 

It lifts the fainting spirit up, 

It brings to life the dead ; 
Our conflicts here will soon be past, 
And you and I ascend at last, 

Triumphant with our Head ! " 

Such sentiments have an admirable ten- 
dency to prepare the soul to meet death. 



62 JUVENILE PIETY. 

Happy for Margaret Ann, her mind, was 
well stored with them ; not only as they 
are expressed in beautiful hymns, but in 
the very words of Scripture. Like David, 
she had " hid the word of the Lord in her 
heart," and now she had it ready for use, 
in her last conflict with the powers of dark- 
ness. It was thevSwoRD of the spirit, with 
which those powers have always been van- 
quished, when it has been rightly used. It 
was what Mrs. Graham calls, " Provision 
for passing over Jordan." 

X. It was exceedingly interesting to ob- 
serve the operations of Divine grace in the 
mind of a child so young as Margaret Ann 
was. She had learnt and experienced much 
before her last illness ; but during that peri- 
od, which was about three weeks, the pro- 
gress of light and sanctification in her mind 
was rapid. The nearer she . approached 
eternity, the more her thoughts appeared to 
be fixed upon " the things which pertain to 
the kingdom of God." The precious Saviour 
of lost sinners was now her "all in all." 
The world could do nothing for her. The 



JUVENILE PIETY. 63 

wealth of the Indies could not have pro- 
cured her restoration to health. Neither 
parents, nor friends, nor physicians, could 
stop the progress of disease and death. 
None but Jesus could support her. She 
knew this; she felt it; and now with more 
earnestness than ever, she looked up to 
Him for help. Her soul hung upon Him as 
her only hope; and who can conceive the 
feelings of her heart while she uttered these 
affecting words — " O, Jesus, love me!" 
What a prayer was this! How full of 
meaning ! What an appeal to the tender 
compassions of Him who came " to seek 
and to save the lost ! " When he was on 
earth, how did he delight in exercising 
mercy and extending relief to all who 
trusted in him, and who called upon him 
in time of trouble, or under a sense of guilt 
and wretchedness ! His compassion was 
moved towards every such object, and he 
is " the same yesterday, to-day, and for- 
ever." While we think of the import of 
this prayer, and of the Saviour's character 



64 JUVENILE PIETY. 

in connection with it, we may almost im- 
agine that we hear him saying to this little 
lamb of his flock, " Verily I say unto thee, 
this day, (or in a very short time), shalt 
thou be with me in Paradise." In the mean 
time, he fulfilled to her another precious 
promise — u My grace shall be sufficient for 
thee." He strengthened her faith, so that 
it was to her " the substance of things 
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." 
It supplied the place of eyes to penetrate the 
vail of dark mortality. One night she ap- 
peared to forget that there was any person 
in the room besides herself and her Saviour. 
She realized his presence, and began to 
plead with him as if she saw him seated on 
his throne; — "O, Jesus! Jesus! you did 
promise me, you did promise me, that who- 
soever believeth on thy name, should not 
perish, but have everlasting life ; you did 
promise me so ! " This evinced a degree of 
confidence in the Redeemer's truth and 
faithfulness, love and power, which might 
indeed be expected in "an old disciple," 



JUVENILE PIETY. 65 

but which must appear remarkable in one 
who was literally " a babe in Christ.' 5 She 
did not forget this promise; for afterwards 
when told that if she would take her medi- 
cine, her grandmother had promised to 
bring her some pretty things, she replied, 
" Oh ! I have a better promise than that, 
the Saviour's promise to me — to myself" 

XL Being much distressed with a num- 
ber of blisters, she did not like the idea of 
putting on another, and expressed a wish 
that it might not be done. When told it 
was necessary, she said no more, but ap- 
peared to be engaged in silent prayer. 
While she was held in a warm bath, and 
another blister applied to her head, she 
remembered and spoke of her Saviour, as 
having been crowned with thorns. She 
appeared to fancy some resemblance be- 
tween his condition and her own at that 
time; and she gave several remarkable 
proofs that she had imbibed the spirit of 
Him who " opened not his mouth when he 
was led as a lamb to the slaughter." To 

6* 



66 JUVENILE PIETY. 

show the heavenly turn of her mind, the 
fact may be recorded, that, while she was 
in this situation, she repeated the Saviour's 
words, " Father, forgive them" — and again 
still dwelling upon the account of the 
Saviour's sufferings — " Abba, Father, they 
know not what they do." 

XII. Obtaining clearer evidence of her 
acceptance, and having, as we supposed, 
more distinct and sensible exercises of gra- 
cious affections, she affirmed nearly a week 
previously to her death, what she had often 
been afraid to affirm before, that she had 
" given her heart to God." When asked 
another time, " My dear, do you still think 
3^ou have given your heart to God?" She 
said she had, and her manner indicated 
that she had no doubt on the subject. She 
was now nearly exhausted by the violence 
and long continuance of her disease. Her 
little body was reduced nearly to a skeleton ; 
and it was almost covered with blisters. In 
this state she had often to be lifted from 
her bed and put into a warm bath. Once 



JUVENILE PIETY. 67 



while she was undergoing this operation, 
her feelings were such, that she probably 
thought she was dying. She remembered 
the dying words of the Saviour, and re- 
peated them as her own — " Father, into 
thy hands I commend my spirit ! " When 
she was actually sinking in death, and the 
family were collected around her bed to see 
her die, she was asked the same question 
which had once before been put to her. 
" Would you rather go to heaven and be a 
holy child there, than to remain in this 
sinful world?' 5 She replied with as much 
earnestness as she was capable of express- 
ing — O, yes, a great deal" Her father 
desired her to say something to her little 
brother, that might make a good impression 
upon his mind, and said to her, "Can you 
not say, ' My dear little brother, try to meet 
me in heaven ? ' " She immediately said, 
w My dear little brother, try to meet me in 
heaven; " and said it in a manner which 
indicated that it was the language of her 
heart. She was asked — " Will you sit 



68 JUVENILE PIETY. 

down in a corner in heaven with that little 
girl of whom, you have read, and sing 
hallelujah with her?" — "0!" said she, 
" there is room enough in heaven without 
sitting down in a corner*" Seeing her 
nurse much affected, she said in a very- 
pleasant manner, almost smiling — " Talking 
so, makes Miss Sarah cry." And truly the 
scene was unspeakably affecting. Here 
was a little child, not sinking in a state of 
stupid insensibility, beneath the stroke of 
death, regardless both of her present and of 
her future condition; but with intelligent 
views, with a mind enlightened by the 
Spirit of God, and reposing upon the bosom 
of the Divine Redeemer, triumphing over 
that which is emphatically called the " king 
of terrors," and which has often been a ter- 
ror to kings. While others were weeping 
around her, expecting to see her in a short 
time breathe her last, her countenance was 
peaceful, and her soul appeared to be as 
calm as a summer evening! " Whom," 
said her father, " do you expect to see when 
you get to heaven?" 



JUVENILE PIETY. 69 

" Jesus," said she. 

" And will you praise him 1 " 

" Yes," said she. 

" And for what will you praise him ? " 

11 For his loving kindness;" and she 
spoke so distinctly and so sweetly, as to fill 
the hearts of her parents and friends around 
her with inexpressible joy. " For his lov- 
ing kindness ! " — They appeared to be the 
sweetest words that ever fell from the lips 
of a mortal. Indeed, so abundant was the 
evidence she gave of being a child of God, 
and an heir of glory, that the tears which 
were shed over her were tears of gratitude, 
of affection, of joy, and not of sorrow. Who 
could rebel or murmur at a dispensation in 
which there was so glorious a display of 
the grace and mercy of God to a little 
child? Her sufferings, which during the 
greater part of twenty-one days, had been 
unspeakably great, having accomplished 
the purposes for which Divine wisdom and 
mercy had sent them, were now apparently 
removed, and her heavenly Father made 



70 JUVENILE PIETY. 

her passage over Jordan very smooth and 
easy. It did not look like death; the mon- 
ster had lost his frightful appearance. The 
storm was past, and there was only heard 
that gentle, almost imperceptible motion of 
the winds, with which they hush them- 
selves to rest. She appeared to be falling 
into a sweet and tranquil sleep. A heavenly 
smile lighted up her countenance, which 
seemed to say, " Weep not for me; I am 
happy, and shall soon be employed in 
praising the Saviour for his ' loving kind- 
ness.' ,J 

She died October 8th, 1825, aged 7 years 
and 7 months. But her influence lives, — 
lives in the memory of her parents, and in 
the impressions that her example made upon 
the little circle in which she moved. And 
through this little volume she comes with a 
message to children, and bids them love 
her Saviour, obey her God, and then she 
will welcome them to her happy home. 
She will point out to them the temples and 
palaces of the New Jerusalem, — walk with 



JUVENILE PIE1T. 71 



them amid the bowers of a celestial Para- 
dise, where flowers never fade, and fruits 
never decay, — lead them where they may 
hear the sweet melody of angelic choirs, 
and mingle their voices with the Redeemed 
in singing the song of a Saviour's love. 



73 



REMARKS 

ON THE 

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN. 

ADDRESSED TO CHRISTIAN PARENTS, 



It will be a cause of joy and gratitude to 
those who have been bereaved of this lovely 
child, if, while this little volume is made a 
blessing to young persons, it may also be 
the means of impressing more deeply upon 
the minds of Christian parents the impor- 
tance of training up their children " in the 
nurture and admonition of the Lord." 

The enjoyment, afforded by reflecting 
upon the facts contained in the preceding 
pages, in connection with a strong confi- 
dence that she to whom they relate, is now 



74 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

a sainted spirit before the throne of her 
heavenly Father, is an ample reward to 
her parents for all the labor and care they 
bestowed upon her. And they feel that it 
adds greatly to the obligation by which 
they are bound to labor and pray for the 
salvation of their other children. It does 
more. It furnishes abundant encourage- 
ment to be "instant in season and out of 
season/' in communicating Divine truth to 
their understandings, and in employing all 
possible means to impress it upon their 
hearts, They now see, for they have the 
most palpable evidence, that God can 
change the heart of a little child; that out 
of the mouths of babes and sucklings he can 
perfect his praise. Let Christian parents 
believe this — for many act as if they believed 
it not ; and when they pray for the salva- 
tion of their children, let them expect it, and 
expect it now, provided they are employing 
the means which they are required to use 
for this purpose. The following remarks 
are intended to assist those who desire to 
know their duty on this subject, and to ad- 



OF CHILDREN. 75 

monish those who know it, but who may 
be growing negligent in its performance. 

The following things appear to be indis- 
pensable to that success, at which every 
pious parent should aim in the religious 
education of his children. 

First — A right estimation of the value of 
religion. 

Secojid — Correct views of Divine truth. 

Third — A right apprehension of the part 
which parents are required to act in this 
matter. 

Fourth — Reliance upon the blessing of 
God. 



76 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 



CHAPTER I. 

A right Estimation of the Value of Religion. 

I. Unless we have a deep, practical, 
operative conviction of its infinite import- 
ance; unless we regard the u favor of God 
as life, and his loving kindness as better 
than life ;" unless we esteem an interest in 
Christ and in his salvation as being infinite- 
ly more desirable than all that u this world 
calls good and great ;" we shall not pay that 
attention to the concerns of our own souls 
which is indispensable to their salvation, 
and religion will be regarded by us as a 
secondary thing, while the world will have 
the supreme control of the heart. This 
will bring such "a mist and darkness" 
over the mind with regard to every object 
which relates to eternity, that such objects 



OF CHILDREN. 77 

will make but a feeble impression, and 
whatever we may prof 'ess we shall still act 
like the children of this world. In such a 
state of mind no systematic, no persevering, 
no anxious and successful efforts will be 
made in the great business of training up our 
children for the kingdom of God. The in- 
structions given to them will be defective 
both in matter and. in manner. They will 
be so superficial, so pointless, so desultory 
and so coldly imparted, as to produce but 
little effect. No vigilant care will be em- 
ployed to prevent the inroads of sin in their 
young and tender minds, and to bring those 
minds under the influence of the fear and 
love of God. Nor will the Holy Spirit be 
earnestly and daily sought for their conver- 
sion. — Other objects will engage our atten- 
tion : their comfort and respectability in 
life ; the decoration of their bodies or the 
cultivation of their minds and manners ; 
their preparation for some business, profes- 
sion, or station in society, which we wish 
them to hold. To the accomplishment of 



78 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

these objects all our care, anxiety and labor 
will be directed ; thus, in reality, limiting 
our views respecting them to the present 
world, as if we had totally given up the 
doctrines of immortality and accountability, 
and settled down upon atheistical ground ! 
It is an alarming fact that many Christian 
parents — such at least in profession — are 
pursuing this absurd, inconsistent and most 
criminal course. And what is its practical ef- 
fect upon the minds of their children? — It 
cherishes in them the spirit of the world ; it 
leads them to adopt the maxims and to pur- 
sue the course of the world, and to seek its 
pleasures, its riches, or its honors, above 
every thing else. Almost the whole system 
of domestic instruction, and domestic train- 
ing, is adapted to produce this effect. But 
does it not appear strange, that it should 
never occur to these believers in Divine 
Revelation, that they ought to feel at least 
as much concern, and to take at least as 
much pains to qualify their children for be- 
ing useful in the church, as in the world, — 



OF CHILDREN. 79 

to make provision for their eternal happi- 
ness, as to provide for their comfort during 
their transitory existence in the present 
state ? Perhaps some will say — u we feel 
more than we express in regard to the eter- 
nal well-being of our children. It is true 
we do not say much, but " — . But what? 
Who is the better for feelings on this sub- 
ject, which are never expressed? And how 
is it to be known that our feelings are dif- 
ferent from those of the men of this world, 
if we do not pursue a course different from 
theirs ? Let us make a fair calculation. 
How much have we done towards instruct- 
ing and preparing our children for glorify- 
ing God in this world, and for eternal 
happiness hereafter ? And ho w much have 
we done to fit them for the present world, 
and to promote their comfort while they re- 
main in it? And to come at the truth, we 
must not inquire what we have done upon 
some rare and particular occasions? but 
what is our daily practice? The result 
ought to fill us with shame, astonishment 



80 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

and grief; for it is a proof of our practical 
infidelity. We miscalculate — we do not 

SET A RIGHT VALUE UPON RELIGION, Or We 

should pursue a very different course in re- 
gard to the training of our children. 

I mean not to exclude or to undervalue 
that instruction or those accomplishments 
which would fit a person of either sex, for 
being a respectable and useful member of 
society. But surely no argument is neces- 
sary to prove that when different objects 
claim our attention, the attention we be- 
stow upon them ought to be proportioned to 
their relative importance. 

They who believe the soul to be infinite- 
ly more valuable than the body, and eter- 
nity infinitely more important than time, 
and an interest in the blessings of the gos- 
pel infinitely more desirable than all the in- 
terests of this world, ought to let the world 
see the practical influence of this belief in 
all they say, and do, particularly in the 
plan they pursue with regard to the relig- 
ious education of their children. In many 



OF CHILDREN. 81 

Christian parents, however, this cannot be 
seen: but on the contrary they exhibit 
abundant evidence that they are acting un- 
der the influence of other views and feel- 
ings. And here may be found an adequate 
cause for the remark often made, " The 
children of professors of religion are as bad 
as others, and often worse." 

But surely this ought not to be a matter 
of surprise, where those means have been 
neglected which alone God has promised to 
bless. On the contrary, it ought to be ex- 
pected as a matter of course. Grace is not 
hereditary ; and if it were, very little would 
be communicated by those who have not 
enough to prompt them to the discharge of 
so plain and important a duty as that of 
training up their children in the nurture 
and admonition of the Lord. 

In some, however, this neglect may, in 
part, proceed from a ivant of information as 
to the means which ought to be employed ; 
in others, from prejudice arising from erro- 
neous views of certain points of doctrine : 



82 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

but most commonly, we fear, it proceeds 
from an entire absence of Christian feeling. 
In the two former cases, supposing the ig- 
norance or prejudice which forms the ob- 
stacle, to exist in connection with true piety, 
nothing is required to remove the evil, but 
correct information. Let such persons 
know distinctly what the Lord would have 
them to do, and they will immediately at- 
tempt to perform it. 

But for the latter case there is no remedy 
except a change of heart. As long there- 
fore as there are so many professors of relig- 
ion laboring under ignorance and prejudice 
on this subject, and so many who are des- 
titute of the vital principle, the lamentable 
fact above stated will continue to exist, and 
to be employed as an argument against the 
religious education of children. But it ap- 
pears to me that such an argument cannot 
have much weight with those who will at- 
tentively consider the remarks offered on 
this subject in the following pages. When 
they arrive at the end, they will, it is 



OF CHILDREN. 83 

hoped, unite with one voice in saying, "if 
this course were pursued by all professors 
of religion in the training of their children, 
few indeed would be found in the ranks of 
God's enemies/' 



84 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 



CHAPTER II. 

Correct views of Divine Truth indispensable 
to Success in this Great Undertaking. 

We cannot impart that which we do not 
possess. If we remain ignorant of the 
truths of the Bible, instead of being quali- 
fied to teach our children, we have need of 
being taught ourselves " the first prin- 
ciples of the oracles of God." Many 
Christians appear to think, that because 
they are not called to the office of public 
teachers, they need not labor and toil to 
obtain much religious knowledge. They 
therefore satisfy themselves with the small 
amount which they can gather from the 
sermons they hear, and from a little occa- 
sional reading, without much mental effort. 
This they never put forth in the earnest 
investigation of religious subjects, however 



OF CHILDREN. 



85 



much they may employ it in attending to 
other matters. They merely look at the 
surface of things, and seldom try to bring 
the different parts of divine truth together, 
so as to see them in their beautiful connect- 
ion and harmonious consistency. How- 
much sin is involved in this negligence, 
and how much they themselves lose of that 
sanctification and comfort of which divine 
truth is the appointed instrument, I cannot 
tell. But sure I am that their children, if 
they have children to educate, are unspeak- 
able losers. They lose that which is more 
precious than gold, more valuable than all 
the world, and which, under the blessing of 
God, might bring them to a state of mind 
that would prepare them for happiness in 
time and in eternity. And children are 
often suffering this loss, while their infatu- 
ated parents are making every possible effort 
to obtain for them wealth or honor or some 
temporal object, which may ruin them for- 
ever ! If parents read the Bible more, and 
spent more of their time in meditating upon 
its precious contents, they would experience 



86 KELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

so much pleasure and advantage, that it 
would be the subject of their daily conver- 
sation, and they would " speak out of the 
abundance of the heart," and there would 
be a " sweet savor" of divine things about 
them, which would add much weight to 
their instructions, while in a pleasing and 
natural manner, they would make almost 
every passing event, conspire to illustrate 
some important truth, or to bring that truth 
to bear upon the minds of their children so as 
to make a salutary impression. But how few 
are habitually and consistently pursuing 
this course ! On the contrary, how much 
ignorance and error may be found in the 
very bosom of the church ! It is most la- 
mentable to think how many children of 
religious parentage have been hardened in 
sin, by the influence of those errors which 
must always exist where the mind is not 
pre-occupied by the opposite truths. 

Nothing is more common than to hear the 
wicked assert that they cannot repent, nor 
obey the gospel, without a change of heart; 
and as they cannot change their own hearts, 



OF CHILDREN. 87 

they must wait until God shall please to do 
the work. This stand is often more boldly 
and confidently taken by the children of 
jwofessors than by any others. This might 
have been prevented by correct instruction. 
But christian parents, anxious to know 
their duty, and feeling deeply for the salva- 
tion of their children, will eagerly inquire, 
how? As the question is one of unspeak- 
able inportance, I will offer such sug- 
gestions as may assist those who have not 
yet obtained clear and consistent views 
respecting it. 

First. Teach them the nature of their 
depravity; that it consists in voluntary 
" enmity against God," which disposes them 
to depart from him and to rebel against his 
authority : and show them how absurd it is 
to plead enmity against God as an excuse 
for not obeying him ! ! 

Show them that nothing prevents them 
from obeying the gospel, but the want of a 
willing mind. This may be done by the 
following texts. u If there be first a willing 
mind, it is accepted according to that a man 



88 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

hath and not according to that he hath 
not.' 7 " Thy people shall be willing in the 
day of thy power;" which proves that they 
were not willing before the day of God's pow- 
er, and that their unwillingness was the only 
obstacle in the way of their conversion ; no 
other being even hinted at as requiring the 
application of that power for its removal. 
" Ye will not come to me that ye might 
have life." These and many other pas- 
sages of Scripture cannot be even forced 
into a consistency with any theory, which 
supposes the sinner to labor under such an 
inability to obey the gospel, as would form 
a valid excuse for his disobedience. Indeed, 
every command, and every denunciation of 
punishment, goes upon the assumption that 
the sinner might obey if he would. 

To present the subject in another light, 
show them what is necessary in order to 
justify the requirements of the gospel. 1st, 
The knowledge of duty. 2d, Such natural 
faculties as are commensurate with those 
requirements. These terms must, of course, 
be explained and simplified, according to 



OF CHILDREN. 89 

the age and capacity of the person to be in- 
structed. 

1st. The knowledge of duty. The sin- 
ner sometimes alleges that he has not this 
pre-requisite, and that he cannot obtain it. 
You assert that he can, and you may bring 
the controversy to a speedy issue. Does 
God admit such an excuse 1 Does he admit 
it even in regard to the heathen ? He says 
u they are without excuse;'' much more 
inexcusable therefore are those who can 
read or hear the gospel. What does he say 
respecting such? " This is the condemna- 
tion, that light has come into the world, and 
men loved darkness rather than light, be- 
cause their deeds were evil." Again : " If 
ye were blind ye should have no sin." 
Once more : " They are wise to do evil, but 
to do good they have no knowledge." And 
this is spoken to their reproach and con- 
demnation. These texts alone decide the 
question. But the objector may be told that 
he is conscious of knowing, already, much 
more than he even attempts to perform, or 

8# 



90 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

than he has a disposition to do. He is 
therefore without excuse. 

2d. Natural faculties commensurate with 
God's requirements, are necessary to justify 
those requirements. "Be ye not unwise, 
but understanding what the will of the Lord 
is. :? The above remarks are sufficient to 
show that this command is justified by the 
sinner's capability of acquiring the knowl- 
edge of his duty, and that every plea of 
ignorance will be silenced by a sentence of 
" condemnation." Why is not obedience to 
the gospel required of idiots? Because they 
are naturally incapable of understanding 
the gospel, or the obligations of creatures to 
their Greator. There is, therefore, a 
sufficient reason why they should not be 
condemned, on account of ignorance, or of 
disobedience. But those who are possessed 
of rationality, have no such plea to urge ; 
and consequently, are without excuse, if 
they do not both understand and obey the 
gospel. And when I speak of obedience to 
the gospel, I mean obedience from the heart, 
for God requires and will accept of nothing 



OF CHILDREN. 91 



short of this. The external performance of 
what are called "religious duties," without 
this, ought not to be viewed as acts of obedi- 
ence to God's commands ; for tl^ey are not 
such. They ought not, therefore, to be 
called duties; for by giving them this ap- 
pellation, impenitent sinners are very often 
deluded into a belief that they are doing 
that which is pleasing to God, when the 
wrath of God is burning against them, 
" because they repent not" and because 
" they believe not" Still, perhaps, they will 
urge — for it is exceedingly difficult to beat 
them off this ground — "that they cannot 
repent, because their hearts are not re- 
newed, and as regeneration is the work of 
God, they must wait God's time to accom- 
plish it. They are asleep, and cannot 
awake themselves — dead, and cannot raise 
themselves to life." This perversion of 
Scripture is resorted to for the purpose of 
relieving their minds from the painful con- 
viction that they are under the strongest 
obligation to immediate repentance; such an 
obligation as precludes every excuse for 



92 HELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

impenitence. But while such persons are 
laboriously endeavoring to find an excuse 
for their disobedience, they ought to con- 
sider the following questions — Does God 
admit your excuse ? If you were to die this 
moment, and go to the judgment-seat, 
would it procure your acquittal? Does the 
gospel limit the obligation to repent, to those 
whose hearts are renewed? Does it say 
that the want of a new heart is a sufficient 
reason for not performing am/ duty? All 
these questions must be answered in the 
negative. To make the subject still plainer. 
" Repentance and the making oneself a 
new heart," mean identically the same thing. 
Both are required in such terms as prove 
that an immediate compliance is demanded, 
which could not be so, if the one was pre- 
requisite to the other. " God now com- 
mands all men everywhere to repent.' 7 
The command respecting " the new heart," 
is in the following words — " Cast away 
from you all your transgressions, whereby 
ye have transgressed, and make you a new 
heart and a new spirit ; for why will ye 



OF CHILDREN. 93 

die." Ezek. IS : 31. No argument is neces- 
sary to prove, that when God makes use of 
such language as this, he requires immediate 
submission to his authority, and obedience 
to his commands. What else could he 
mean 3 The proof may be made out com- 
plete in another form. The solemn inter- 
rogatory, " Why will ye die V implies that 
if they would obey, they should not perish; 
and the declaration, " except ye repent, ye 
shall all likewise perish," implies that those 
who repent shall not perish. The same 
promise then is connected with both. But 
if they were two, and so distinct and so de- 
pendent, the one upon the other, as the 
objection above stated supposes them to be, 
this could not be so. If then repentance is 
not the same as making oneself a new 
heart, a man might repent and yet perish, 
which the whole tenor of the Bible forbids 
us to believe. The truth is, that he who 
obeys from the heart any one of God's 
requirements, whether it be to repent, or to 
believe in Christ, or to be reconciled to God, 
does by that act evince himself to be a new 



94 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

creature, in the scriptural sense of this 
phrase. The sinner, then, is as inexcusable 
for not making himself a new heart, as he 
is for not repenting or for being at enmity 
with God. If he is able to repent, he is able 
to make himself a new heart. Nothing pre- 
vents him from doing either, except the 
love of sin. This alone creates the necessity 
for the operation of the Holy Spirit. Ac- 
cordingly we find that all which the Holy 
Spirit does in regard to the change of which 
we are now speaking, is to make the sinner 
a willing servant of the Lord, the enemy a 
friend, the rebel an obedient child. This 
view of the subject presents the question of 
duty in a very different light from that in 
which many have been accustomed to con- 
template it. The duty of making oneself a 
new heart, is to be urged by ministers upon 
their people, and by parents upon their 
children, without any relaxation of the re- 
quirement on account of any excuse of the 
sinner whatever. And so far from easing off 
the obligation by prescribing u a system of 
means ' ; to be used as preparatory to repent- 



OF CHILDREN. 95 

ance, and for the purpose of producing a 
gradual change for the better, much pains 
ought to be taken to convince them that 
this is not God's method of saving sinners; 
that while they pursue it, they are rebelling 
against him, and that if they continue to 
pursue it they must be lost. This will elicit 
many wrong feelings, of which, perhaps, 
they were not before conscious. The many 
hard thoughts of God, the enmity and 
rebellion which they will often feel, rising 
in their hearts, will, if the Holy Spirit 
accompany the instruction, serve to con- 
vince them that they are desperately wick- 
ed, justly condemned, and if left to them- 
selves, utterly lost. With such views and 
feelings as these, they will no longer be 
satisfied to wait for what they formerly 
called M the Lord's time;" nor to "lie at 
the pool 77 in their impenitence and unbelief, 
as if nothing more were required of them. 
The language of their hearts will be, " God 
be merciful to me a sinner. 77 And with 
sinking Peter, " Lord save me. 77 This will 
be accompanied by a cordial approbation of 



96 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

the gospel method of salvation, an un- 
reserved submission to God, and an humble, 
perhaps joyful, reliance upon Christ in all 
his offices. 

When the work is done, every one who 
understands the gospel will say, "It is the 
Lord's doing," and will give to him the 
glory. But such is the instrumentality 
which he thinks proper to employ for its 
accomplishment. Let parents labor to form 
clear views on these points, and to impart 
them to their children; and if by the bless- 
ing of God they should succeed, they will 
pervent the formation of one of the greatest 
obstacles to conversion that ever was raised 
in the mind of a sinner. If some should 
have cause to say, — "Alas! my children 
have already been carried away by these 
errors," — let them not despair of removing 
the evil by a prudent, diligent, and prayer- 
ful application of the means here suggested. 
My remarks have been confined to this 
particular point, because it appears to be 
less understood than almost any other. 
Every part of divine truth, however, ought 



OF CHILDREN. 97 



to receive its appropriate share of attention, 
in a system of religious education. But the 
limits I have prescribed to myself will not 
admit of any thing more under this 
division of the subject. 



98 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 



CHAPTER III. 

It is indispensable that parents should un- 
derstand the part ivhich they are required 
to act in this matter. 

That God changes the heart of every sin- 
ner who is saved, is unquestionable. But it 
is equally clear, that he requires parents to 
labor for the salvation of their children, 
with as much diligence and assiduity as if 
the work were to be accomplished by their 
agency alone. Deut. 6:6, 7. " These 
words which I command thee thou shalt 
teach diligently unto thy children, and 
shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy 
house, and when thou walkest by the way, 
and when thou liest down, and when thou 
risest up." Prov. 22 : 6. " Train up a child 
in the way he should go, and when he is 
old he will not depart from it." Eph. 6 : 4. 



OF CHILDREN. 99 

" Ye fathers provoke not your children to 
wrath, but bring them up in the nurture 
and admonition of the Lord." These com- 
mands cannot be neglected without "de- 
spising the word of the Lord," and forfeit- 
ing the blessing which he has promised to 
the seed of the righteous. 

In order to assist parents in understand- 
ing their duty, the following suggestions 
are affectionately offered. 

I. Dedicate your children to the Lord 
without reserve, and realize your obligation 
to train them up for his service and glory. 
Consider that he has committed to your 
charge these young immortals, and that by 
the connection which he has constituted be- 
tween you and them, he has made their 
character and their destiny to depend in a 
great degree, upon the performance or the 
neglect of your duty towards them. You 
may see this truth confirmed both in the 
Bible and in actual experience. What 
parent can think of it without trembling 
under the weight of his responsibility ! 

II. Having given your children to the 



100 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

Lord, be careful that you do not, as many 
have done, take them back again, and train 
them np for this world, instead of training 
them up for the kingdom of God. This 
would involve the guilt of sacrilege and of 
soul-murder. The terms are not too strong. 
No representation can equal the enormity 
of the crime. But who is liable to a charge 
like this? I answer, those parents who 
professedly devote their children to God in 
baptism; and then, instead of laboring by 
every possible means to bring them to an 
experimental acquaintance with religion, 
are anxious mainly about the appearance 
they are to make in this world; about the 
cultivation of their minds, or the decoration 
of their bodies, or their success in business. 
The charge lies against those who feel 
more concerned to gratify their children, 
than to please God, by restraining them 
from such things as he has forbidden ; it 
lies against those who suffer their children 
to associate with companions, who they 
have reason to believe will lead them into 
sin ; — against those who cherish the pride 



OF CHILDREN. 101 

of their children, by gratifying their immo- 
derate desires for fine dress, and other orna- 
ments ; — it lies against those who allow 
their children to participate in those amuse- 
ments which have the most direct tendency 
to destroy every serious impression. Let 
parents remember, that when they gave 
their children to the Lord, Heaven witnessed 
the solemn transaction, earth also witnessed 
it, and both are now looking on to see how 
they perform their vows ; let them also 
remember that the issue may soon be seen 
in the salvation or damnation of those whom 
they tenderly love. O ! if I had a voice 
like that of the archangel's trumpet which 
will awake the dead, I would sound an 
alarm on this subject which should be heard 
and felt by every parent who has ears to 
hear and a heart to feel. 

III. Be careful to establish and to main- 
tain parental authority over them. The 
neglect of this duty generally results in un- 
speakable vexation and unhappiness to 
parents, creates a thousand difficulties in 
the management of children, and the con- 

9* 



102 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

sequences to them are always highly per- 
nicious, and often ruinous. Such neglect 
arises from a most pitiable and culpable 
weakness on the part of the parent, for 
which he often meets with a painful retri- 
bution in this world, in having his authori- 
ty despised by his children, and in the loss 
of that filial respect which might have been 
secured by a better discipline. The habit 
of implicit obedience to parental authority, is 
highly important in a religious point of 
view. It may, when accompanied by pro- 
per instructions, prepare the way for sub- 
mission and obedience to our Father in 
heaven. On the contrary, the habit of re- 
bellion against parental authority, is indi- 
cative of a state of mind which places its 
subject farther from the kingdom of God. 

This duty is so important as to be made 
the subject of Divine command. Under the 
law, a stubborn and rebellious son was to 
be stoned to death. A curse was also 
pronounced upon him who should " set 
light by father or mother." The book of 
Proverbs contains many positive injunctions 



OF CHILDREN. 103 

on this subject. " Chasten thy son while 
there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for 
for his crying." " Withhold not correction 
from the child, for if thou beatest him with 
the rod he shall not die. Thou shalt beat 
him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul 
from hell." " The rod and reproof give 
wisdom ; but a child left to himself bring- 
eth his mother to shame." " Correct thy 
son and he shall give thee rest, yea he shall 
give delight unto thy soul." We are urged 
then by God's command, by regard to our 
own peace and comfort, and to the pre- 
sent and eternal welfare of our children, to 
establish and to maintain parental authori- 
ty over them. To accomplish this object 
it is best to begin very early. Dr. W r ither- 
spoon says, that a beginning ought to be 
made when the child is not more than eight 
or nine months old ; and with prudence 
and perseverance, he thinks the point may 
be gained by the time the child arrives at 
the age of twelve or fourteen months. The 
same firmness and consistency, however, 
must still continue to be employed in their 



104 KELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

management ; and if it be united with affec- 
tionate admonitions and correct instruc- 
tions, it will seldom be necessary to resort 
to the severity of discipline. When, how- 
ever, correction becomes indispensable, we 
ought to be careful that it be not adminis- 
tered in a passion. On the contrary, we 
should let our children see that we do it 
from a sense of duty to God, because He 
commands it, and because it is for their 
good. This should be impressed upon their 
minds, as soon as they are capable of re- 
ceiving the impression. 

In order to avoid difficulties with them, 
— which would be likely to defeat the ob- 
ject of Christian discipline, we should care- 
fully guard against laying upon them any 
unnecessary or improper commands. But 
when we command them to do what Ave 
know to be right, we ought invariably to 
enforce obedience, although it may be in it- 
self a small matter. 

Having, in the days of their childhood, 
established absolute authority over them, 
and having gained their entire and affec- 



OP CHILDREN. 105 

tionate confidence, we shall afterwards find, 
it comparatively easy* to restrain them from 
those associations, amusements, and pur- 
suits, which might counteract the instruc- 
tion they had received and prove the death 
of jail our fondest hopes. 

IY. Be free in conversing with them. 
Always pay a kind attention to what they 
say, and be careful not to keep them at a 
cold distance. We ought so to adapt our 
conversation to their capacities, aud so to 
enter into their feelings, and evince so much 
tenderness and love to them as to make 
them delight in our society. This object is 
easily accomplished. Children are affec- 
tionate, and they are easily gained by affec- 
tion ; and we ought to prize their love not 
only for its own sake, but as an instrument 
of moral discipline — as giving us an influ- 
ence which may be exerted most beneficial- 
ly to them. If they love us ardently, we 
may carry any point with them. If they 
love us ardently, they will respect our au- 
thority and dread our displeasure. 

Under this head, I would also recom- 



106 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

mend a vigilant care to improve every 
favorable opportunity of impressing divine 
truth upon their minds. Such opportuni- 
ties will daily occur ; and if our hearts are 
exercised as they ought to be, we may give 
such a turn to these events as will excite 
their interest, sometimes in a high degree. 
By this means, under the teaching of the 
Holy Spirit, they may be led to the knowl- 
edge of God, of his works, and of his will 
respecting us : of Christ and the plan of 
salvation; of heaven and hell, the judg- 
ment to come, and the great interests of 
eternity. By speaking of these subjects 
in the right time, and in the right manner, 
they will perhaps never fail to produce, or 
to confirm some good impression. In this 
way, much time that is often spent in use- 
less reveries, or idle conversation, might be 
turned to a profitable account ; for example, 
when we are " walking by the way, or sit- 
ting in the house; when we lie down, and 
when we rise up." This practice habitual- 
ly pursued, would have a happy effect upon 
the minds of parents ; while its advantages 



OF CHILDREN. 107 

to their children would be unspeakable, 
and might be lasting as eternity. 

Labor to inspire them with reverence for 
the Bible. Teach them always to regard 
it as God's holy word. When they do 
wrong, ask them what the Bible says about 
such conduct or such words. Get them in- 
to the habit of referring to it on all ques- 
tions of duty, and regarding it as the stan- 
dard by which their destinies will be 
decided. 

I would add a word or two in regard to 
other books. The example contained in 
the preceding memoir exhibits, in a very 
striking manner, the importance of storing 
the minds of children, at an early period, 
with such truths as the Holy Spirit is ac- 
customed to employ for their conversion. 
These truths may be found expressed, with 
great simplicity and beauty, in many 
hymns ; such as those called " Hymns for 
Infant Minds," and Dr. Watts' " Divine 
Songs for Children." The rhyme enables 
them to commit the lines to memory more 
easily than they could otherwise do, and 



108 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

imparts to them a pleasure which they 
would not experience in reading the same 
sentiments expressed in prose. As they 
improve in reading, and as their capacities 
enlarge, other books ought to be procured 
for them, such as will be both interesting 
and instructive ; and such as will give 
them correct views of divine truth. Books 
of an opposite character and tendency, 
ought to be kept out of their hands, with as 
much care as is exercised in preserving 
them from the influence of corrupting socie- 
ty, or the most fatal poison. 

VI. Accustom them, at a very early 
period to make a visible distinction between 
the Sabbath and the other days of the 
week. They should often repeat the com- 
mand — "Remember the Sabbath day to 
keep it holy," &c. See, also, Isaiah 56: 4 
— 7; 5S : 13, 14. On this day especially, 
parents ought to have their children under 
their notice, and not to suffer them, on any 
account, to wander off with others who 
have no fear of God before their eyes, and 
who may do them more injury in a few 



OF CHILDREN. 109 

hours, by their conversation and example, 
than their parents would be able to undo 
in months or years. We ought to see that 
they are in their proper place — take them 
with us to the house of God, and labor to 
impress their minds with the importance of 
behaving well, while there, and of attend- 
ing, with interest, to what the minister may 
say. It is, also, highly important to teach 
them, ever to regard ministers in their pro- 
per character, as the ambassadors of Christ; 
and to pay that respect to them, which is 
due to their office and their character. We 
ought never to let them hear us speak dis- 
respectfully of a minister; and we should 
caution them against listening to any ill re- 
ports, respecting the servants of God, ap- 
prising them that this is a wicked and 
censorious world, which delights in hearing 
and giving currency to such things, and 
often exaggerates them, and sometimes 
fabricates them without the least founda- 
tion. A prejudice formed against ministers 
of the gospel, or the loss of that respect 

which ought to be felt for all who act con- 

10 



110 ItELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

sistently with their high vocation, may- 
lead a young person to think lightly of 
every thing sacred, to " despise the word 
of the Lord," and thus shield him against 
all that moral and religious influence, 
which might otherwise be exerted upon 
him, by the ministry of reconciliation, and 
place him beyond the reach of those means 
of salvation which God has appointed. 
VII. Set before your children an example 

OF CONSISTENT AND DEVOTED PIETY. One of 

their first tendencies is to say what they 
hear others say, and to do what they see 
others do; and thus their principles and 
habits are, in a great degree, formed by 
what they see and hear in the domestic 
circle. These principles and habits are 
lasting; and, generally speaking, they form 
the character of the man or the woman. 
Dr. Scott's children have remarked, that 
they learned more important lessons of 
practical wisdom from their father's conver- 
sation with his friends, who visited him, 
than they received from him in any other 
way. And, doubtless, thousands of imfor- 



OF CHILDREN. Ill 

tunate children have, in a similar manner, 
received instructions and impressions of a 
very different kind, — such as have produced 
the most deplorable and fatal effects upon 
their moral character. We ought to let our 
children see, from our conversation and 
habits, and especially^ by making every 
thing else bend in subserviency to our relig- 
ions duties, that we are, in reality, influ- 
enced by the fear and the love of God, and 
by a confident belief of the great truths of 
the Bible; that we feel ourselves to be 
strangers and pilgrims on the earth, and 
that we are seeking a city which hath 
foundations, whose maker and builder is 
God ;" that we consider it our great business 
to do good in the world, and to glorify God 
by extending the knowledge and influence 
of the gospel among men ; and it is impor- 
tant, often to explain to them the principles 
upon which we are acting, and the views 
by which we are influenced. 

VIII. Pray with your children. Begin 
early and repeat it often, and as they grow 
older it will become habitual, pleasant, and 



112 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

most profitable, both to yourselves and to 
them. No method will be found so suc- 
cessful in softening their hearts, and bring- 
ing their minds to that state in which 
divine truth may operate upon them most 
powerfully. The same method will some- 
times be found to answer a better purpose, 
in correcting the bad tempers and habits of 
servants, than the most severe discipline. 
In speaking of prayer, I am naturally led 
to the last thing which I proposed to con- 
sider, as necessary to success, in the relig- 
ious education of children. 






OP CHILDREN. 113 



CHAPTER IV. 

Reliance upon the Blessing of God. 

Without this blessing, you will " labor in 
vain, and spend your strength for naught.'' 
While, therefore, you use the means already 
pointed out, and others, which the Bible 
and your own experience may suggest, look 
to God, daily, for the Holy Spirit to accom- 
pany your efforts. Plead his promises : 
plead with Him for the glory of his own 
great name, and for the sake of Christ and 
his cause on earth, to make your children 
the subjects of his grace ; to teach them to 
subdue their hearts, and to sanctify them 
by his Holy Spirit. Establish your minds 
in the firm belief, that he can produce this 
blessed change in little children, and that 
he will produce it in yours, if you are faith- 
ful in your duty to Him and to them. Both 
the Bible and the history of the church 



10* 



114 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

concur in establishing this truth, that spir- 
itual blessings are granted to children, in 
answer to the prayers of faithful and be- 
lieving parents. " Make full proof," 
therefore, of the efficacy of prayer and of 
faith. Never rest until you see your children 
saved from the power of sin and Satan, and 
prepared to unite with you, in serving and 
glorifying your God and Saviour. If your 
children should grow up, without ..exhibit- 
ing any evidence of piety, then, instead of 
sinking into despondency, and relaxing 
your efforts, and doubting the truth of 
God's promises ; examine whether you 
have not been deficient in some part of your 
duty respecting them. Ask yourselves 
these questions, in relation to those funda- 
mental points to which your attention has 
just been directed. 

1. Have you sincerely and unreservedly 
devoted your children to God? 

2. Have you faithfully performed your 
vows ? 

3. Have you established and maintained 
parental authority ; and have you exercised 



OF CHILDREN. 115 

this authority for the purposes intended by 
Him who made you a parent? Or have 
you not too much resembled Eli, whose sons 
11 made themselves vile, and he restrained 
them not ? " 

4. Have you improved your opportuni- 
of colloquial instruction, " teaching" your 
children " diligently the things which God 
has commanded you, when you sat in your 
house, and when you walked by the way !" 
endeavoring to ascertain whether they 
really understood these things, and supply- 
ing their lack of knowledge ? 

5. Have you inspired them with proper 
sentiments respecting the Bible, and made 
that use of iis truths in your system of 
religious discipline, without which no other 
means can accomplish the end you profess 
to have in view? — Remember this is the 
instrument by which the Spirit of God 
works, and this instrument must be em- 
ployed by us. 

6. Have you given them right views of 
the Holy Sabbath both by precept and ex- 
ample, endeavoring to show them the 



116 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

reasonableness of the command which re- 
lates to it, and how happily it is adapted to 
promote our comfort and interests in this 
world, as well as to prepare us for the world 
to come ? Have you used such means to 
keep them engaged in proper employments 
as would prevent them from feeling that 
you were exercising over them a painful 
and tyrannical restraint ? — The best medi- 
cine when improperly used, may become 
poison. 

7. Have you prayed with your children, 
especially on those occasions which were 
most favorable for making serious impres- 
sions upon their minds ; or when they were 
in a temper of mind which disposed them 
to disregard ordinary instructions and or- 
dinary methods of discipline ? 

8. Has your example been such as 
might be reasonably expected to make a 
favorable impression upon their minds? 
Has your conversation been adapted to con- 
vince them that religion is the one thing 
needful ? that our only proper business in 
life is to serve and glorify God ? that we 



OF CHILDREN. 117 

are creatures formed for an eternal exist- 
ence, and that the great question whether 
we are to be eternally happy, or miserable, 
will soon be decided, and decided " accord- 
ing to the deeds done in the body ? " Have 
they seen you carry your religion into all 
your transactions, influenced by its prin- 
ciples in every thing — consistent, conscien- 
tious, and ever aiming to do all the good in 
your power ? 

Finally — Have you exercised faith in the 
promises of God, and relied upon his Spirit 
— to accomplish the desired change in your 
children? 

Have you felt more concern to see them 
"covered with the robe of righteousness " 
and " beautified with salvation," than to 
obtain for them or for yourselves any world- 
ly object, realizing that unless they became 
Christians, they would be wretched what- 
ever might be their circumstances in this 
world, and lost forever in the world to 
come? 

On the other hand, contemplate the 
blessed consequences of success in the relig- 



118 RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 

ious education of your children. If they 
should become truly pious, what a comfort 
will they be to your declining years ! 
What a comfort to the whole domestic 
circle ! How great a blessing to the church, 
and to the neighborhood in Which they 
may reside ! When they become heads of 
families, they will certainly employ the 
same means to train up their children in 
the fear of the Lord, which have proved so 
beneficial to themselves; and thus as your 
family branches out, and multiplies, even 
down to the end of time, the happy effects of 
your labors will be increasing, and increas- 
ing in a ratio that baffles all calculation. 
Some of your posterity may become minis- 
ters of the Gospel, may have the honor of 
" turning many to righteousness," and 
when removed from this world may occu- 
py distinguished positions in the world of 
glory. If, after all, you feel yourselves 
growing indolent and negligent in the per- 
formance of your duty, cast your thoughts 
forward to the judgment day ; in imagina- 
tion place yourselves and your children be- 



OP CHILDREN. 119 

fore the great tribunal ; — see them in their 
sins, among the enemies of God, hear the 
last sentence pronouneed upon them, and 
their shrieks of anguish and despair, while 

they sink to rise no more forever. In 

view of this overwhelming scene, renew 
your resolution; strengthen yourselves in 
the Lord your God, and determine to live 
and to die laboring and praying for the 

SALVATION OF YOUR CHILDREN. 



120 



THE PIOUS MOTHER. 

EXTRACT FROM A SERMON BY REV. ALBERT BARNES. 

Two thoughts, in conclusion, I will suggest, 
to two classes of my hearers. The first re- 
lates to those who have had pious mothers, 
who now are removed to heaven, but whose 
prayers and counsels they have disregarded. 
I refer to those who have thus far withheld 
their heart from that Saviour whom their 
mother loved, and wiih whom she now 
dwells; who may have embraced senti- 
ments such as they know she would not 
approve ; who have made choice of com- 
panions such as she lived to warn them 
against, or who indulge in revelry and 
sin such as if she were living, you know 
would break her heart. Go, young man, 
or woman, and walk in the stillness of the 
evening among the graves. Beneath your 
feet, in the sacred slumbers of a Christian 



THE PIOUS MOTHER, 121 

death, lies a much loved mother. How 
calm her slumbers ! How sweet the spot ! 
How lovely a mother's grave ! How the 
memory delights to go back to the nursery ; 
the - m fire-side ; the sick-bed ; the anxious 
care of a mother ! How it loves to recall 
the gentle look ; the eye of love; her kiss 
at night. At that grave, thoughtless child, 
think of thy revels, thy neglect of God ; 
thy forgetfulness of the prayer she taught 
thee ; thy friendship now for those against 
whom she warned thee ! She sleeps now 
in death ; but from that grave is it fancy 
that we hear a voice — " My beloved child ! 
Is this the life I taught thee to pursue ! 
Did I bear thee, and toil for thee, and pray 
for thee, and wear out my life, that I might 
train thee for sin, and death, and hell V 9 

The other thought relates to those who 
now have a Christian mother — and who 
disregard her living counsels and prayers. 

The day is coming when that mother 
will die. You may see her die; or far 
away you may hear of her death, and may 
return and visit her grave. Be thou sure 



122 THE PIOUS MOTHER. 

that every unkind look, every disobedient 
action, every harsh word, will come back 
and visit thy soul. Be sure you will re- 
member every thing that ever gave pain to 
her heart, and remember it with unavailing 
regret when too late to recall it, or to ask 
forgiveness. Be sure, if you are unkind 
and disobedient: if you are an infidel or a 
scoffer, if you slight her counsels, and 
neglect the God and Saviour to whom she 
would lead you, there are laid up in the 
chambers of your soul, sources of the most 
bitter repentance hereafter — and that you 
cannot find forgiveness of her whose heart 
you broke, though you seek it carefully, 
and with tears. And be sure that the 
sweetest of all consolations when she dies, 
will be found in such love of her Saviour 
that you will appreciate what is meant 
when it is said she has gone to heaven ; and 
an evidence in your own heart that you 
will be prepared when the summons comes, 
to rejoin her in the realms of bliss. 



123 



BOYS, MIND YOUR MOTHER. 

11 Come, boys, here is a story for you. I 
want you all to come together and listen. 
I was a boy once, and I recollect a little 
how boys feel. I am a man now, but I 
have hp.d as much to do with boys as I have 
had with men. 

I suppose you all have a mother. What 
I want to tell you is, how you ought to 
treat your mother. When I was a boy, no 
larger than you are, my mother used to tell 
uie that she never knew any one to prosper 
who did not treat his mother well. She 
said that when she was young she knew 
several children who did not honor their 
mothers, and that they all came to a bad 
end. 

There were several boys among my ac- 
quaintances, whom I knew to have dis- 
obeyed and ill-treated their mothers. I 
thought I would remember them, and see 



124 BOYS, MIND YOUR MOTHER. 

how they turned out in the world. I 
should think it was as much as fifteen 
years ago. I will call these boys William, 
George, and Herbert. I remember as dis- 
tinctly as though it were but yesterday. 
They were my classmates at school. I re- 
member their mother perfectly well : for 
many a play afternoon have I spent at their 
house. 

William was a very pleasant boy and a 
fine scholar. One afternoon I was at his 
father's house. We were playing on the 
green in front of the door. William's 
mother stepped upon the door-stone and 
called him. We were busily engaged in 
play with some other boys, and William 
took no notice of his mother's call. After 
she had spoken several times, he stopped a 
moment to hear what she had to say. 

? I want you to go down to the shop, and 
carry this box to your father,' said # his 
mother. 

' But I don't want to go, mother,' 

1 Well, you must go.' 

c But I'm playing, and I can't go.' 



BOYS, MIND YOUR MOTHER. 125 

1 William, I tell you, you must go, for 
your father must have this immediately.' 

Just then one side of the party who were 
playing ball had beaten the other. William 
heard the merry hurra, and exclaimed, 
1 Well, I won't go, there.' He picked up a 
stick, and throwing it at his mother, ran 
eagerly off to join the victors. I turned 
just in time to see the stick fall from his 
mother's dress, and to see how sad she 
looked as she went into the house. 

I never before saw a boy strike his 
mother, and it made me feel so badly that 
I could not play. I told the boys I believed 
I must go home. I walkfed away, thinking 
of what my mother had told me. I thought 
I would always remember William, and 
see if he prospered. Before he grew up he 
was taken very sick, and after many years 
of great suffering he died. 

The next boy was George. His mother 

indulged him very much. She used to let 

him do pretty much as he chose, and any 

thing he wanted she was sure to do for 

him; but any thing she wanted he was 
12 



1 jbH-H-^ 

126 BOYS, MIND YOUR MOTHER. 

sure not to do for her. He never minded 
any thing his mother said to him. Well, 
George is dead, too. He became dissipated, 
lost his character, and died a miserable 
death. 

Herbert was much like William and 
George — worse, if any thing. He not only 
did not care for what his mother said, but 
used to ridicule her before the other boys. 
His end was more miserable than that of 
William or of George. I shall not tell you 
exactly what became of him, for it is a 
more dreadful story than I love to relate. 
But I can never think of him without re- 
membering the tesft, ' The eye that mock- 
eth at his father, and despiseth to obey his 
mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick 
it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.' 
Prov. 30: 17." 







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